PERTH: Osteopore Limited has announced that a research collaboration agreement has been signed with the National University of Singapore (NUS) Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine’s Department of Surgery and the National University Hospital (NUH).
This project seeks to investigate the potential for Osteopore’s 3D printed implants to be used in mandibular reconstruction and to gather adequate data for future regulatory submission. The mandible is the largest bone in the human facial skeleton.
It holds the lower teeth in place, assists in mastication and forms the lower jawline. The need for mandibular reconstruction stems from bone loss due to trauma or disease. Currently, widely used solutions include a fibula graft and iliac crest, however both methods can lead to post-surgical complications and donor site morbidities.
In Singapore, there are an estimated two to three mandibular reconstructions per week at NUH. This application of the Osteopore technology would be a further expansion of Osteopore’s ongoing development of oral maxillofacial (OMF) reconstruction solutions. The Osteoplug and Osteomesh is currently approved by the Health Sciences Authority of Singapore for clinical usage in dental reconstruction such as socket preservation and alveolar ridge reconstruction.
The Company is progressing into further clinical trials to secure broader regulatory clearances as well as developing second generation material, incorporating additives into the polycaprolactone matrix, to further improve bone regeneration.
Successful completion of this research collaboration has the potential to further support OMF product development.
Osteopore, the Department of Surgery at NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and NUH Department of Surgery will work together on a preliminary in vivo study to determine if the combination of Osteopore’s 3D printed bioresorbable products with bone marrow aspirates (BMA), or similar extracts, could be used to regrow bone following mandibular reconstruction surgery.
The entire initiative is funded by the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster (NAMIC), Singapore’s national additive manufacturing accelerator. Osteopore will also contribute significant support in the form of guiding the study and data collection methods to ensure alignment to regulatory needs. Following completion of the project, Osteopore shall have a first right to negotiate for a licence to commercialise any project IP developed through the collaboration. This collaboration structure offers the Company a cost-effective and highly leveraged opportunity to continue to develop the Osteopore technology into new therapeutic applications.
Osteopore Ltd is an Australian and Singapore based medical technology company commercialising a range of bespoke products specifically engineered to facilitate bone healing across multiple therapeutic areas. Osteopore’s patented technology fabricates specific micro-structured scaffolds for bone regeneration through 3D printing and bioresorbable material. Osteopore’s patent protected scaffolds are made from proprietary polymer formulations, that naturally dissolve overtime to leave only natural. healthy bone tissue, significantly reducing post-surgery complications that are commonly associated with permanent bone implants.
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