SHANNON, Ireland, May 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PBC Biomed, an Irish-based Medical Device Company, will lead a consortium comprised of Biodesign Europe and SFI Research Centre for Advanced Manufacturing (I-Form) at Dublin City University and Dolmen Design & Innovation, a Dublin-based product design company, in developing a bone adhesive for the treatment of osteoporotic fractures. This partnership was recently awarded €3.4M by the Irish Governments Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF), with an additional €2M investment from the industry partners associated with the project.
PBC Biomed, located in Shannon with a US office in Memphis, Tennessee, is focused on accelerating medical innovation in the areas of bone and tissue healing through partnerships with healthcare professionals, academic institutions and medtech companies. The development of a bone adhesive that will significantly reduce operating times, risk of infection, and the need for hardware in complex fracture treatment has the potential to significantly disrupt the standard of care. The DTIF award will support the expansion of this technology into other clinical applications, such as tissue regeneration and repair.
Dr. Gerard Insley, Chief Scientific Officer at PBC Biomed, highlighted, “Treating complex bone diseases using biomimetic biomaterials allows patients to quickly restore mobility and health. PBC Biomed has extensive experience in developing and commercialising solutions for unmet clinical needs, so we look forward to driving this project to completion to accelerate healing in osteoporotic patients.”
Dolmen Design & Innovation’s role in this partnership is to develop an innovative delivery solution for the complex application of the bone adhesives in various anatomical settings, thus reducing the risk and complexity faced by surgeons in the operating rooms.
Martin Bruggemann, Medical Design Director at Dolmen, said, “We are delighted to be part of this exciting consortia, where we will be bringing our expertise in dispense, deployment and delivery system innovation to the fore. We have patented award-winning solutions for clients around the world for the past 30 years and the opportunity to continue working with such visionaries as the PBC Biomed and DCU teams is what drives us to deliver solutions on a daily basis.”
Biodesign Europe and I-Form at DCU will provide technical expertise associated with testing and validating the efficacy of the platform technology for use in treating osteoporotic bone fractures. They will also facilitate clinical adoption by utilising the OsStic platform technology at their world-class medical facilities.
Prof. Nicholas Dunne said, “Biodesign Europe and I-Form are thrilled to be playing a pivotal role in this exciting challenge-based project. Our goal is to accelerate the development of the first mechanically-compliant bone adhesive with tissue regenerative properties. It’s application in orthopaedic surgery for the management and treatment of osteoporotic bone fractures has the potential to affect approximately 5 million people each year across the world. This interdisciplinary project truly epitomises the ground-breaking scientific discovery and MedTech innovation that is taking place in Ireland and has the potential to drastically alter the bone fracture orthopaedic market on a global scale.”
Paul Burke, Managing Partner at PBC Biomed, said, “PBC Biomed is honoured to lead this collaboration in developing a technology that will truly disrupt the treatment of bone repair and enhance patient wellbeing. The investment by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the DTIF Team allows partnerships such as these to not only improve healthcare, but also showcase Ireland’s world-class research and development capabilities. We thank them for funding this initiative.”
About PBC Biomed Ltd
PBC Biomed was founded in 2010, with the mission of being the preferred partner for accelerating medical innovations to launch in order to make a meaningful difference in patients’ lives. PBC Biomed delivers value through a wide array of services, including R&D, quality, regulatory, contract manufacturing, supply chain and commercialisation. Located in Ireland, an international hub for the development and production of medical devices, biologics and pharmaceuticals, PBC Biomed is the strategic partner for medical innovation from ideation to implantation.
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