Jersey City-based EpiBone on Tuesday said an orthopedic surgeon, professor and researcher at Rush University Medical Center will serve as an adviser for EpiBone’s work in developing living bone and cartilage for human transplantation.
Dr. Brian Cole, who currently leads the Cartilage Research and Restoration Center at Rush and established himself as a leader in the field of orthopedic restoration, will bring his years of expertise to the team at EpiBone and provide guidance across the full spectrum of itswork, from product development to clinical trial design.
A well-regarded figure in the world of orthopedics, Cole’s work centers on replacing damaged cartilage as an alternative to joint replacement and restoring damaged cartilage by transplanting it from another part of the body or using cartilage from a donor. He has developed several innovative techniques for treating joint conditions and has been named in the Top 20 in sports medicine, knee and shoulder specialists repeatedly over the last five years, as selected by his peers. His published research spans over 900 publications and 44,000 citations, and he is among the most frequently referenced orthopedic researchers in the world.
EpiBone, a company that grows living bone and cartilage grafts from stem cells and is the world’s first company to use stem cells to grow living bone and implant them in patients, said Cole’s extensive body of work aligns with EpiBone’s method of harnessing the natural healing ability of cells.
“EpiBone’s work truly represents what is currently possible in regenerative medicine today,” Cole said. “Their innovative technology and approach to skeletal repair are not just an evolutionary step forward, but a revolutionary leap into the future of orthopedics, and I’m excited to bring my expertise to shape that future.”
His professional career outside of academia includes serving as team physician for the Chicago Bulls, co-team physician for the Chicago White Sox and a team physician for the Chicago Dogs and DePaul University. He has served as co-host for 10 years on the radio talk show Sports Medicine Weekly originally on ESPN and 670TheScore – Chicago Sports Radio and is now the official host of his Sports Medicine Weekly Podcast. He is the founder and director of the annual Chicago Sports Summit since 2016.
