With billions of human chondrocytes at their disposal, ISTO broadened into the spine market with NuQu, an injectible percutaneous delivery of juvenile chondrocytes intended for patients with back pain who do not respond to conservative therapy after three months. The cells are isolated, expanded, and put in a syringe with fibrin and injected into spinal discs in a minimally invasive procedure. This cell-based therapy is intended to become an improved therapeutic option for resolving back pain associated with degeneration of the intervertebral disc nucleus, which is filled with hyaline cartilage. The intervertebral disc is a large cartilaginous structure that lies between the vertebral bodies of the spine, cushioning and anchoring them together.Thus far, fifteen patients have been treated with NuQu in a phase I clinical trial. “There is almost no rehabilitation. Three hours after injection, patients can get up and walk,” comments Seyedin. By April 2011, ISTO will complete analysis of the 6 month follow up and then submit safety data to FDA.In 2008, ISTO began generating revenue through FDA 510 (k) approval with InQu, the company's bone graft extender and substitute and their first product to market. InQu combines PLGA, a biodegradable polymer, with hyaluronic acid, a molecule critical for tissue repair and regeneration. In procedures where a bone graft is needed, as for vertebral damage or as a bone extender for scoliosis deformities, the surgeon takes a chip of bone from the pelvic bone, mixes it with ceramics to induce bone growth, and transfers the slurry to the injured area.InQu eliminates the need for iliac crest transfer and for ceramics. This platform technology comes in strips, granules, and paste that can be mixed with blood, bone marrow, or morcelized with bone. Company scientists are testing whether InQu can be used to regenerate other soft tissues that may be lost to injury or disease, says Seyedin.According to Seyedin, 2010 closed with $10 million in revenue for ISTO. “We are excited,” he says. “We are very excited.”