Our History

Hancock Jaffe laboratories is a privately held company headquartered in Irvine, California. The company was founded in 1987, by Warren Hancock and Norman Jaffe with the goal of developing tissue-based solutions designed to help patients with peripheral vascular and end-stage renal disease.

Both founders already possessed significant expertise, accumulated over many years, in the development of implantable biological prosthetic devices. In 1969 Warren Hancock founded Hancock Laboratories, and pioneered the development of the first tissue heart valve. The company was acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 1979 and in 1985 the Hancock valves became a key component of Medtronic's cardiac surgery portfolio. Both the Hancock I and Hancock II porcine heart valves continue to be implanted today in thousands of patients all over the world.

Norman Jaffe also led the development of a tissue heart valve through his company Xenotech Laboratories which he founded in 1980. Dr Jaffe developed the Intact valve, now marketed by Medtronic, which features a novel treatment designed to reduce calcification of the valve over time. Calcification has long been a concern associated with tissue heart valves and Dr Jaffe's invention has made a valuable contribution to addressing this problem. Xenotech also embarked upon a program to develop biologic implants for vascular reconstruction. Upon the founding of Hancock Jaffe Laboratories, the company acquired the assets of Xenotech Laboratories, including the programs and patents associated with the vascular bioprostheses.

Our two founders possess particular skills in glutaraldehyde fixation technology, an essential element in the preservation of biological tissue, particularly for implantable devices.

Except for the treatment of redo vascular access patients,
our products are not currently approved for sale in the United States.