Resorbable Osteoplasty for Orthopedic Applications

The primary objective of this 2 year collaborative research project is to develop the world’s first resorbable osteoplasty for minimally invasive intramedullary stabilisation of osteoporotic bone fractures, which is a growing international healthcare problem that contributes to the £2.3bn annual cost of fractures to the NHS. In the UK, the population over 65 will rise from 17.7% in 2014 to 23.2% by 2034 with osteoporosis affecting 20% of women over 70 and 40% over 80 (Source: International Osteoporosis Foundation). The consortium is led by a global medical device company (Smith and Nephew UK Ltd) collaborating with two UK-based SME’s, Lucideon UK Ltd, an independent global expert in materials testing, analysis and consultancy, and Arterius UK Ltd, who commercialize bioresorbable stents for the cardiovascular industry. The primary output of this technical feasibility study will be to develop a demonstrator for pre-clinical assessment in a sheep fracture model, and a platform technology, which is applicable in other areas of healthcare such as maxillofacial, reconstruction, spine and dental given its high level of innovation.