New ’‘tissue scaffolding’ reduces need for joint replacements

By guiding and supporting the body’s natural repair mechanisms, the multi-layered, sponge-like technology encourages cartilage, ligaments or tendons to regenerate concurrently with the bone that anchors them in place. By helping surgeons treat damage to cartilage, ligaments and tendons when it first occurs, the technology allows patients to either postpone joint replacement surgery until their first implant can last the rest of their lives or avoid it altogether.

With over 2 million joint replacement surgeries every year at a cost of $30 billion, this technology could save many people from joint replacement operations, and revolutionise the care of these patients.

People with joint replacements can expect between 15 and 17 years before their implants fail. While 15-17 years is likely sufficient for patients in their 70s and 80s to live out a healthy, pain-free life, those receiving their first implant in their 40s and 50s must face the prospect of one or sometimes several more painful operations to repair their damaged joint replacements.

Professor William Bonfield, biomaterials innovator and leader of the CMI project at the University of Cambridge commented: “The beauty of this technology is its simplicity – it converts a single, large defect that the body cannot heal on its own into a series of smaller, more manageable defects that can be healed more effectively.”

Andrew Lynn, Founder and CEO of OrthoMimetics said: “We are delighted to have the opportunity to help this technology realise its full potential. The feedback that we have already received has shown that the technology directly addresses many of the key concerns of patients, surgeons and healthcare insurers in this field. We look forward to building on the work already accomplished at the University of Cambridge and MIT to bring our first product, ChondroMimetic, to market.”

Professor Lorna Gibson, who headed the MIT side of the project adds: “A key aspect of this new technology is that it combines the most important features of two technologies that have been proven to be safe and effective clinically, and allows them to be applied at more complex anatomical locations.”

An exclusive licence has been signed by CMI and OrthoMimetics Ltd, the first technology company to emerge from the collaboration between the two universities, to commercialise the resulting products.

Cambridge Enterprise, University of Cambridge, helped Andrew Lynn get OrthoMimetics going, and on behalf of CMI facilitated and negotiated the licence. Miranda Weston-Smith of Cambridge Enterprise said, “We wish the energetic transatlantic team of OrthoMimetics every success for this important contribution to healthcare.”