The FDA granted Active Implants breakthrough designation for its NUsurface Meniscus Implant, an artificial meniscus that has already been cleared for marketing in Europe.

The device imitates the meniscus, a pad of cartilage between the thigh and shin bones that functions as a shock absorber.

The implant is an investigational treatment for persistent knee pain that arises following medial meniscus surgery. It’s estimated that 700,000 to more than one million partial meniscectomy surgeries are performed yearly.