Glue for cartilage repair

1. A sterile allograft cartilage defect implant material for use in human beings comprising milled allograft cartilage pieces sized less than 1 mm and lyophilized so that their water content ranges from about 0.1% to about 8.0% in a bioabsorbable carrier.

2. A sterile allograft cartilage defect implant material as claimed in claim 1 wherein said milled cartilage ranges from about 25% to about 50% by weight and said carrier ranges from about 75% to about 50% by weight.

3. A sterile allograft cartilage defect implant material as claimed in claim 1 wherein said milled cartilage ranges from about 15% to about 30% by weight with the carrier ranging from about 85% to about 70% by weight.

4. A sterile allograft cartilage defect implant material as claimed in claim 1 wherein said carrier is sodium hyaluronate and its derivatives.

5. A sterile allograft cartilage defect implant material as claimed in claim 1 wherein said implant material includes a protein glue.

6. A sterile allograft cartilage defect implant material as claimed in claim 1 wherein said implant material includes the addition of autologous chondrocytes to achieve a concentration exceeding the concentration of chondrocytes naturally occurring in the patient.

7. A sterile allograft cartilage defect implant material as claimed in claim 1 wherein said milled cartilage is hyaline cartilage.

8. A sterile allograft cartilage defect implant material as claimed in claim 1 wherein said milled cartilage is fibrosus cartilage.

9. A sterile allograft cartilage defect implant material as claimed in claim 1 wherein said milled cartilage is hyaline and fibrosus cartilage.

10. A sterile allograft cartilage defect implant material claimed in claim 1 including an additive to said implant material consisting of one or more of a group consisting of growth factors, human allogenic cells, human allogenic bone marrow cells, human autologous bone marrow cells, human allogenic stem cells, human autologous stem cells, human demineralized bone matrix, and insulin.

11. A sterile cartilage repair material as claimed in claim 10 wherein said growth factors are one or more of a group consisting of FGF-2, FGF-5, IGF-1, TGF-β, BMP-2, BMP-7, PDGF, VEGF.

12. A sterile allograft cartilage defect implant material as claimed in claim 1 wherein said carrier comprises one or more bioabsorbable carriers taken from a group consisting of sodium hyaluronate, hyaluronic acid and its derivatives, gelatin, collagen, chitosan, alginate, buffered PBS, Dextran or polymers.

13. A sterile cartilage defect implant material comprising milled allograft articular cartilage pieces ranging from 0.01 mm to 1.0 mm in size in a bioabsorbable carrier taken from a group consisting of sodium hyaluronate, gelatin, collagen, chitosan, alginate, buffered PBS, Dextran or polymers and allogenic chondrocytes in an amount exceeding the natural occurrence of same in articular cartilage.

14. A sterile cartilage defect implant material as claimed in claim 13 wherein said allograft articular cartilage is hyaline cartilage.

15. A sterile allograft cartilage defect implant material as claimed in claim 13 wherein said milled cartilage is fibrous cartilage.

16. A sterile allograft cartilage defect implant material as claimed in claim 13 wherein said milled cartilage is hyaline and fibrous cartilage.

17. A sterile cartilage repair material as claimed in claim 13 wherein said implant material includes an additive consisting of one or more of a group consisting of growth factors, human allogenic cells, human allogenic bone marrow cells, human autologous bone marrow cells, human allogenic stem cells, human autologous stem cells, demineralized bone matrix, and insulin.

18. A sterile cartilage repair material as claimed in claim 17 wherein said growth factors are one or more of a group consisting of FGF-2, FGF-5, IGF-1, TGF-β, BMP-2, BMP-7, PDGF, VEGF.

19. A sterile cartilage defect implant material as claimed in claim 13 wherein said milled cartilage ranges from about 25% to about 50% by weight and said carrier ranges from about 75% to about 50% by weight.

20. A sterile cartilage defect implant material as claimed in claim 13 wherein said milled cartilage ranges from about 15% to about 30% by weight with the carrier ranging from about 85% to about 70% by weight.

21. A sterile cartilage defect implant material comprising lyophilized milled allograft articular cartilage pieces ranging from 0.01 mm to 1.0 mm in size in a bioabsorbable carrier taken from a group consisting of sodium hyaluronate, hyaluronic acid and its derivatives, gelatin, collagen, chitosan, alginate, buffered PBS, Dextran or polymers and autologous bone marrow cells in an amount exceeding the natural occurrence of same in a patient being treated.

22. A sterile cartilage defect repair material as claimed in claim 21 including an additive in said implant material which consists of one or more of a group consisting of growth factors, human allogenic cells, autologous chondrocytes, demineralized bone matrix, and insulin.

23. A sterile cartilage repair material as claimed in claim 22 wherein said growth factors are one or more of a group consisting of FGF-2, FGF-5, IGF-1, TGF-β, BMP-2, BMP-7, PDGF, VEGF.

24. A sterile cartilage defect repair material as claimed in claim 21 wherein said bioabsorbable carrier consists of sodium hyaluronate, hyaluronic acid and its derivatives.

25. A sterile cartilage defect material as claimed in claim 21 wherein said lyophilized cartilage pieces have a water content ranging from about 0.1% to 8.0%.

26. A sterile cartilage defect implant material as claimed in claim 21 wherein said allograft articular cartilage is hyaline cartilage.

27. A sterile allograft cartilage defect implant material as claimed in claim 21 wherein said milled cartilage is fibrous cartilage.

28. A sterile allograft cartilage defect implant material as claimed in claim 21 wherein said milled cartilage is hyaline and fibrous cartilage.

29. A sterile cartilage defect implant material as claimed in claim 21 wherein said milled cartilage ranges from about 25% to about 50% by weight and said carrier ranges from about 75% to about 50% by weight.

30. A sterile cartilage defect implant material as claimed in claim 21 wherein said milled cartilage ranges from about 15% to about 30% by weight with the carrier ranging from about 85% to about 70% by weight.

31. A sterile cartilage defect implant material comprising lyophilized milled allograft articular cartilage pieces ranging from 0.01 mm to 1.0 mm in size in a bioabsorbable carrier taken from a group consisting of sodium hyaluronate, hyaluronic acid and its derivatives, gelatin, collagen, chitosan, alginate, buffered PBS, Dextran or polymers and autologous stem cells in an amount exceeding the natural occurrence of same in a patient being treated.

32. A method of placing a cartilage defect material in a cartilage defect, said cartilage defect material comprising milled allograft articular cartilage which has been lyophilized and mixed in a bioabsorbable carrier comprising the steps of:

(a) cutting a patient's tissue at a site of a cartilage defect to remove a diseased area of cartilage;

(b) adding autologous cells to said mixture of milled allograft cartilage in a bioabsorbable carrier;

(c) placing a mixture of milled allograft cartilage with added autologous cells in a bioabsorbable carrier in the cartilage defect area where cartilage has been removed; and

(d) placing a cover over the mixture of milled allograft cartilage in a bioabsorbable carrier to contain the mixture in cartilage defect site for a predetermined period of time.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein growth factors are added to said mixture.

34. The method of claim 32 wherein said autologous cells are chondrocytes.

35. The method of claim 32 wherein said autologous cells are bone marrow cells.

36. The method of claim 32 wherein said autologous cells are stem cells.

37. A sterile cartilage defect implant material comprising lyophilized milled allograft articular cartilage pieces ranging from 0.01 mm to 1.0 mm in size in a bioabsorbable carrier taken from a group consisting of sodium hyaluronate, hyaluronic acid and its derivatives and chitosan and autologous chondrocytes in an amount exceeding the natural occurrence of same in articular cartilage, wherein said milled cartilage ranges from about 25% to about 50% by weight and said bioabsorbable carrier ranges from about 75% to about 50% by weight.

38. A sterile cartilage defect implant material comprising lyophilized milled allograft articular cartilage pieces ranging from 0.01 mm to 1.0 mm in size in a bioabsorbable carrier taken from a group consisting of gelatin, collagen and alginate and autologous chondrocytes in an amount exceeding the natural occurrence of same in articular cartilage, wherein said milled cartilage ranges from about 25% to about 50% by weight and said bioabsorbable carrier ranges from about 75% to about 50% by weight.

39. A sterile cartilage defect implant material comprising lyophilized milled allograft articular cartilage pieces ranging from 0.01 mm to 1.0 mm in size in a bioabsorbable carrier taken from a group consisting of buffered PBS, Dextran or polymers and autologous chondrocytes in an amount exceeding the natural occurrence of same in articular cartilage, wherein said milled cartilage ranges from about 25% to about 50% by weight and said bioabsorbable carrier ranges from about 75% to about 50% by weight.