Meniscal xenografts

A method of preparing a meniscal xenograft for implantation into a human, which comprises

• a. removing at least a portion of a medial or lateral meniscus from a knee joint of a non-human animal to provide a xenograft;
• b. washing the xenograft in water and alcohol;
• c. subjecting the xenograft to a cellular disruption treatment;
• d. digesting the xenograft with a glycosidase to remove substantially a plurality of first surface carbohydrate moieties from the xenograft;
• and
• e. treating a plurality of second surface carbohydrate moieties on the xenograft with a plurality of sialic acid molecules to cap at least a portion of the second surface carbohydrate moieties,
• whereby the xenograft is substantially non-immunogenic and has substantially the same mechanical properties as the native meniscus.

An article of manufacture comprising a substantially non-immunogenic knee meniscal xenograft for implantation in to a human, produced by

• a. removing at least a portion of a medial or lateral meniscus from a knee joint of a non-human animal to provide a xenograft;
• b. washing the xenograft in water and alcohol;
• c. subjecting the xenograft to a cellular disruption treatment;
• d. digesting the xenograft with a glycosidase to remove substantially a plurality of first surface carbohydrate moieties from the xenograft, wherein the glycosidase has a concentration in a range of about 1 mU/ml to about 1000 U/ml, and
• e. treating a plurality of second surface carbohydrate moieties on the xenograft with a plurality of capping molecules to cap at least a portion of the second surface carbodydrate moieties on the xenograft,
• whereby the xenograft is substantially non-immunogenic and has substantially the same mechanical properties as the native meniscus.

An article of manufacture comprising a substantially non-immunogenic knee meniscal xenograft for implantation in to a human, produced by

• a. removing at least a portion of a medial or lateral meniscus from a knee joint of a non-human animal to provide a xenograft;
• b. washing the xenograft in water and alcohol;
• c. subjecting the xenograft to a cellular disruption treatment;
• d. digesting the xenograft with a glycosidase to remove substantially a plurality of first surface carbohydrate moieties from the xenograft;
• and
• e. treating a plurality of second surface carbohydrate moieties on the xenograft with a plurality of sialic acid molecules to cap at least a portion of the second surface carbohydrate moieties,
• whereby the xenograft is substantially non-immunogenic and has substantially the same mechanical properties as the native meniscus.