Silk-Ti Technology: Combination of robust, tissue regenerative cartilage and bone repair materials for development of mechanically functional, biologically integrating osteochondral implan

Osteoarthritis is a crippling disease caused by damage to cartilage and the underlying bone in the body's joints. Arthritis Research UK have estimated that osteoarthritis will cost the NHS £118.2bn between 2017 and 2027\. The only widely accepted treatment for osteoarthritis is replacement of the joint with a large, permanent implant. This requires major surgery which takes several months to fully recover from and while often successful there are variable outcomes and it is not recommended for younger patients. As osteoarthritis can develop early in a person's life this means many patients cannot currently be treated effectively.Orthox, a small UK medical-technology company, and Stryker, a major multinational company, have developed innovative materials to repair cartilage and bone. Orthox has created FibroFix: a unique cartilage repair material made from silk that combines the smooth, slippery, resilient and robust characteristics of human cartilage with a structure that supports regrowth of the patients own cartilage tissue. FibroFix has shown promise in pre-clinical and early human trials. Stryker have invented Tritanium: a material that is 3D printed from titanium and can knit with bone. Tritanium has demonstrated good results in patients and is used in implants for the spine, hip and knee.Over the previous 2 years, the partners have collaborated to combine these cartilage and bone repair materials, creating Silk-Ti technology: early stage implants which aim to replace damaged bone and cartilage. These implants will attempt to offer patients who have damaged their cartilage and bone, and who may also have osteoarthritis, a much less painful operation which removes less healthy tissue than joint replacement surgery. This, combined with both material's strength, may also allow patients to recover much more quickly from the surgery while long-term the patient's own cartilage and bone tissue should grow into the implants, holding them firmly in place and helping the implant to function better. Stryker also have a robotic surgery system which may help surgeons fit Silk-Ti implants more accurately into the joint leading to better results.Silk-Ti materials have shown encouraging preliminary results in mechanical and early surgical testing.This project will:1\. Further develop Silk-Ti manufacturing capability at Orthox,2\. Complete comprehensive mechanical testing of the combined materials to confirm the implants work in the lab3\. Identify the most appropriate joints for the Silk-Ti technology to target4\. Develop early stage Silk-Ti implants for these joints.5\. Conduct preliminary testing of these implants.