AxoGen Awarded Accreditation from American Association of Tissue Banks : Decision Affirms AxoGen's Commitment to Safety and Ethicality in the Development and Distribution of AVANCE Nerve Graft for Treatment of Peripheral Nerve...( AxoGen Inc. ...),Health

AxoGen, Inc., a leader in the development of treatment options for the repair of peripheral nerve injuries, announced today that the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB) has awarded them the prestigious AATB accreditation. This accreditation affirms that AxoGen meets or exceeds all AATB safety standards required for screening, handling, packaging, processing, storage and distribution of tissue.

ALACHUA, Fla. (Business Wire EON) September 30, 2008 -- "This important accreditation from AATB represents yet another example of AxoGen's company-wide commitment to patient safety and to providing the highest quality products to surgeons across the country," said Mark Friedman, Ph.D., Director of RA/QA for AxoGen, Inc.

Peripheral nerves are the pathway for both motor and sensory signals between the central nervous system and muscles or organs throughout the body. Peripheral nerve damage caused by trauma, certain surgical procedures including prostatectomy, some cancers and other diseases collectively affect several hundred thousand people each year. Symptoms can include numbness, tingling, and pain as well as loss of muscle mass and motor control that can impair walking, hand and arm movement and other functions.

Surgeons can implant AVANCE Nerve Graft at the site of the damaged nerve in order to support restoration of lost function without the sacrifice of healthy nerves or the need for immunosuppression. AVANCE Nerve Graft was developed by AxoGen using a proprietary process that decellularizes the nerve tissue while preserving the naturally occurring growth promoters and maintaining the three dimensional structure of the nerve. The process also clears growth inhibitors that may impede regenerating nerve fibers. As a result, AVANCE Nerve Graft is able to support the regeneration of the nerve fibers, known as axons, that are essential to conduct nerve impulses
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