New knee implant could help avoid full replacement
NCT ID NCT06368700
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests a new implant called the HYALEX Freestyle Resurfacing System for people with damaged knee cartilage. About 85 adults aged 22-70 with knee lesions will receive the implant during surgery. The goal is to see if it safely reduces pain and improves daily activities over 12 months.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Hyalex Knee Cartilage System (a synthetic implant surgically placed in the knee to replace damaged cartilage and bone)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this implant could offer a new option for people with knee cartilage damage, reducing pain and improving mobility without needing a full knee replacement.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study with only 85 participants and no comparison group, so results may not apply to everyone. Risks include implant failure, infection, or need for additional surgery.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 85 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2024
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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A company
The lead sponsor is a pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical-device company.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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22 to 70 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria (Phase 1): 1. 22-70 years. 2. Body Mass Index (BMI) ≤ 40. 3. Up to two treatable joint surface lesion, ICRS Grade 3 or 4, located on the medial and/or lateral femoral condyle. 4. Up to 2 implants (one implant per condyle) to treat up to 2 individual symptomatic lesions with a total summative area up to 4.52cm2 / condyle. 5. Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) pain subscale score between 20 and 65. 6. Ligamentously stable knee. 7. Failure of non-operative treatment (e.g., physical therapy, physician-directed at home exercise program, intra-articular injections, bracing) for at least 4 months prior to consideration for participation in the study. Exclusion Criteria: HYALEX Implant, Surgical Technique, and Lesion Site Exclusions: 1. Known allergy to polyurethanes, bone cement, acrylic, or titanium. 2. Lack of 2mm of cartilage (ICRS Grade 0 to 2) and 2mm of vital bone wall on all sides of the implant site. 3. Osteochondral defect affecting subchondral bone more than 11mm in depth from adjacent non-defect articular surface. 4. Bipolar cartilage lesions involving patellar or tibial lesions ICRS Grade 3 - 4 opposite the lesion intended for treatment. 5. Insufficient bone stock or bone density determined intra-operatively preventing implant press fit. Patient Orthopaedic Health Exclusions: 1. Kellgren and Lawrence (KL) grade 3 or 4 on standing radiographs. 2. Hip-knee-ankle (HKA) angle of greater than +/- 8 degrees (varus or valgus malalignment \> 8 degrees) on standing X-ray. 3. Lack of normally functioning contralateral knee that restricts activity. 4. Recent Osteochondritis Dissecans within 1 year. 5. Diagnosis of a concomitant knee injury which the investigator believes may interfere with study participation or confound effectiveness assessment. 6. Untreated ACL and/or PCL deficiency or complex ligamentous instability of the study knee according to IKDC Grade C (abnormal) or D (severely abnormal). Previous Surgery and Intervention Exclusions: 1. Previous surgical cartilage treatment in the index knee within the last 6 months 2. Previous intra-articular injections, including HA and steroids, within the last 3 months prior to the date of surgery. Patient Overall Health and Health History Exclusions: 1. Any known history of inflammatory arthropathy or untreated or uncontrolled crystal-deposition arthropathy. 2. Current cigarette smoker or user of other nicotine products. 3. Known Type 1 or Type 2 insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. 4. Currently undergoing immunosuppressive therapy or long-term steroid use (corticosteroid, excluding inhalers) or within 3 months prior to surgery.
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The study's own enquiry address
This study publishes an address for enquiries. See it below .
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The places running it
4 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
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Locations
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Horizon Clinical Research
RECRUITINGLa Mesa, California, 91942, United States
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Hospital for Special Surgery
RECRUITINGNew York, New York, 10021, United States
Contact Email: •••••@•••••
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Ochsner Sports Medicine Institute
RECRUITINGNew Orleans, Louisiana, 70121, United States
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Oregon Health & Science University
RECRUITINGPortland, Oregon, 97239, United States