Ice-free Preservation and Nanowarming for Viable Meniscal Transplants
Official title: Ice-free Cryopreservation with Nanowarming for Banking of Viable Meniscal Transplants
Funded at Clemson University · NIH-11413736 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Aimed at helping people with serious knee meniscus damage by improving how donor meniscal tissue is preserved so it stays alive longer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Clemson University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Clemson, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2018 |
| Project end | July 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $216,571 |
| NIH project number | 5P20GM121342-09 |
| Project ID | NIH-11413736 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults with symptomatic knee meniscal loss who may benefit from meniscal allograft transplantation.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not considering or eligible for meniscal allograft transplantation may not benefit.
What this research studies
This project looks at a new way to freeze and store meniscal tissue without ice crystals, using ice-free vitrification and nanowarming to keep cells alive. It focuses on overcoming the size-matching challenge that limits how many donor grafts are usable for meniscal transplantation. Researchers will study how well this method preserves tissue structure and biomechanical properties during long-term storage. The goal is to enable reliable, readily available grafts for patients needing meniscal allografts.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could access higher-quality, readily available donor meniscal grafts with better long-term function.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work shows ice-free cryopreservation and nanowarming are promising for preserving living tissues, but applying it to the meniscus is still being developed.
Where this research is happening
-
Clemson University
Clemson, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wang, Shangping — Clemson University
- Study coordinator: Wang, Shangping
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.