Pete Jenkins, JRF executive director, believes OHSU's involvement in advancing the technology is only the beginning. "Teaming with surgeons in our donor communities around the country to provide this special gift of donation that enhances the life of the recipient is central to the JRF mission. We are pleased to partner with CTS in Portland and others areas to benefit these communities," he said.
JRF prepares and coordinates fresh osteochondral allografts that can be used in a variety of joints to treat a variety of conditions. Allocation of these tissues is performed on a priority basis back to the communities that the donors came from. The fresh cartilage allografts are extensively tested to assure bacteria and viral free grafts are provided to surgeons specializing in cartilage restoration surgery. Tissues can be maintained for up to 28 days in a medium that keeps the cells viable and the tissue healthy so it continues to live after transplantation.
Cooperation between Community Tissue Services, which has been serving Portland and the greater Oregon community for decades, and the tissue preparation and coordination resources of the Joint Restoration Foundation has already proven valuable. Several OHSU patients have recently benefited directly from the increased availability of fresh tissue for transplantation performed for complex joint cartilage restoration procedures.
Patients diagnosed with osteochondral injury, or cartilage injury can ask their physicians about the use of allografts or other techniques now available for cartilage restoration. OHSU physicians are involved in several trials to assess the efficacy of these treatments and continue to pioneer cartilage surgery treatments.