Appeal No. 97-1192
Application 08/385,290
base claims. Claims 11 through 16, the only other claims
pending in the application, stand withdrawn from consideration
pursuant to 37 CFR § 1.142(b).
The invention relates to a template for the regenerative
repair of cartilage defects. Claim 1 is illustrative and
reads as follows:
1. A template for the repair of cartilage defects
leading to the regeneration of hyaline-like cartilage, the
template comprising:
a) a first layer comprising a dense collagen membrane
having a pore size of less than 1 micrometer which is cross-
linked with a non-cytotoxic agent to increase strength and
lengthen resorption time, to provide a barrier against
movement of cells from the subchondral plate, the membrane
being sufficiently permeable to allow the passage therethrough
of fluids, nutrients, cytokines, and other endogenous factors
necessary for healing; and
b) a second layer secured to the first layer and
comprising a porous collagen matrix having pore size of 50 to
200 micrometers, which permits the ingrowth of cells.
The references relied upon by the examiner as evidence of
obviousness are:
Lyng 3,526,228 Sept. 1,
1970
Tomoatsu Kimura et al., “Chondrocytes Embedded in Collagen
Gels Maintain Cartilage Phenotype During Long-term Cultures,”
Clinical Orthopaedics, Vol. 186, pp. 231-39 (June 1984)
(Kimura)
2
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