ISTO Technologies, Inc. to Present at the 22nd Annual Piper Jaffray Health Care Conference

ST. LOUIS, Nov. 29, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- ISTO Technologies, Inc., a privately-held orthobiologics company, announced today that Mitchell Seyedin, Ph. D., President and Chief Executive Officer, is scheduled to present at the 22nd Annual Piper Jaffray Health Care Conference in New York, NY.

ISTO's proprietary cell-based orthobiologic platform harnesses the regenerative capacity of juvenile cartilage cells to create products designed to repair and restore function to damaged tissue.  The company believes that the two clinical-stage products currently comprising ISTO's cell-based program, DeNovo® ET and NuQu™, potentially represent significant breakthroughs addressing two significant unmet medical needs (damaged knee cartilage and discogenic back pain).  These products utilize juvenile chondrocytes that have a proven superior capacity for cartilage regeneration compared to adult cells.  Additionally, ISTO's patented cell-expansion process allows for a scalable, off-the-shelf solution not possible with autologous cell-based technologies  

DeNovo ET, a scaffold-free engineered cartilage tissue, is intended for the repair of damaged articular cartilage in the knee. ISTO believes the product represents a novel treatment for cartilage repair.  

DeNovo ET is developed in partnership with Zimmer Inc.

NuQu is an injectable juvenile chondrocyte therapy for early intervention and restoration of disc function in patients suffering from discogenic back pain. As with DeNovo ET, NuQu's use of juvenile chondrocytes offers unique regenerative potential. There is currently no effective treatment for invertebral disc repair and this minimally-invasive ambulatory treatment potentially represents a breakthrough and cost-effective solution for discogenic back pain.

In addition to ISTO's cell-based cartilage programs, the company is currently producing and marketing, InQu®, a bone graft extender and substitute.  InQu combines integrated hyaluronic acid and a synthetic polymer for better handling and biology. The primary target market for the product is spinal fusion applications.

About ISTO

ISTO is a privately-held orthobiologics company dedicated to improving patient quality of life through the development of proprietary products for spinal therapies and sport medicine applications. ISTO's products are intended for the repair and regeneration of damaged or injured cartilage and bone.  For additional information on ISTO, please visit our website at www.istotech.com.

SOURCE ISTO Technologies, Inc.