The L-C Ligament™ is an engineered matrix for ACL reconstruction and is a potential breakthrough technology for treatment of ACL tears.
The ACL has poor healing potential and tears are usually treated surgically using autografts and allografts. In in vivo testing, the L-C Ligament™ has allowed reconstruction of the ACL by facilitating the regeneration of native ACL tissue. In addition, the L-C Ligament™ may increase the number of reconstructions of the ACL performed if, as we believe, surgeons find the use of the L-C Ligament™ to provide particular advantages in ease of use, and clinical safety from infection and disease. 
ACL injuries have traditionally been treated with biological grafts such as autografts and allografts.
Autograft material for ACL repair is usually taken from the patellar tendon, hamstring tendon, or quadriceps tendon of the patient. The key limitations are donor site morbidity and the possible damage of the remaining tissue at the harvest site. Other problems include the limited amount of tendon available for harvesting, unpredictable resorption characteristics, and increased recovery time. 
Allografts are tissues such as patellar tendon, hamstring tendon, and Achilles tendon taken from cadavers. The advantages of allografts are no pain or scars associated with a donor tissue site, and a significant decrease in surgical time. However, allografts can transmit disease, cause bacterial infection, and elicit an unfavorable immunogenic response from the host. Also, allografts cannot be sterilized without damaging the tissue and decreasing its tensile strength.
Attempts have also been made to use synthetic materials in ligament replacements. These devices are susceptible to long-term mechanical failure due to creep and fatigue and their implantation may also lead to stress shielding, which leads to poor long-term neoligament formation. Thus, currently available ligament prostheses and augmentation devices have high rates of failure due to fragmentation, stress shielding of new tissue, fatigue, creep, and wear debris.
None of these synthetic devices are approved for primary ACL repair.
STR’s approach to soft tissue regeneration or augmentation can be differentiated from most current competitors in the following ways.

1. The STR soft tissue engineered matrices regenerate native tissue and actually allows the ACL to regrow.
2. The STR soft tissue engineered matrices are designed to be implanted using minimally invasive techniques.
3. Proprietary and patented technology of the L-C Ligament™ is unique in the ligament replacement industry.

STR has obtained exclusive world-wide rights to a patent involving ACL regeneration. In addition, STR intends to collaborate with a company that possesses significant patents and proprietary technology related to braiding technology. With these patents and proprietary technologies as a basis, STR has developed a product that is differentiated from those currently employed for ACL tears.
The L-C Ligament™ is a patented and proprietary product utilizing three dimensional woven polymeric fibers for the regeneration of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament. The L-C Ligament™ has been shown to successfully regenerate native ACL tissue in vivo, and is designed to be an alternative to the over 300,000 anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions performed worldwide using autograft and allograft tissue.