Emergent Technologies Inc. (ETI), Austin, TX, has licensed recombinant chondroitin technology from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC), Oklahoma City, OK. ETI has formed a new company, Choncept L.L.C., to commercialize the technology that was developed by Dr. Paul DeAngelis, an associate professor at OUHSC. The new method of chondroitin production utilizes bacteria, not animal sources, avoiding the problems of potential prion contamination (“mad cow”) or harvesting endangered animals such as sharks. In addition, Choncept will be able to create novel re­combinant molecules, called chimerics, by joining chondroitin, hyaluronic acid and heparin. All of this will be possible through cooperation with sister companies Halose and Heparinex.