CSIRO licenses bio-bone

CSIRO has formed a strategic alliance with UK-based medical device company AorTech producing spinal disc implants, using a unique polymer developed by Melbourne researchers.

The agreement will add to a range of existing polymer-based products already being marketed by AorTech, into the sustaining cardiovascular, interventional cardiology and cardiac rhythm management devices markets, and for the manufacture of drug-eluting coronary stents.

The CSIRO-developed high silicone content polyurethane copolymer (Elast-Eon) offers high biological and mechanical performance, and is formed by a unique compound of the two basic materials. The compound is researched and manufactured in Melbourne, and can be produced to be either very flexible or rigid as the application demands.

"We shall be using the polymer inventions developed by CSIRO, and be bringing our expertise into areas like process definition, scaling up for production and product development," said AorTech CEO, Frank Maguire. "We would like to see a [spinal disc] product being produced within about six months, and we could see a marketable product within a year or so."

The new products will be based around the orthopaedic-use version of the co-polymer. CSIRO Molecular Science chief Dr Annabelle Duncan said the compound could have substantial economic and community benefit with its potential for the design of new medical devices.

"We are looking forward to working closely with AorTech to develop the potential applications of this incredible substance and also to scale up production. [AorTech] is well placed to capitalise on the technology in the global medical device markets," she said.

Duncan said the development of Elast-Eon several years ago was a major scientific breakthrough at the time. "The team had to overcome significant technical difficulties to achieve... a material that is durable, tear-resistant, sufficiently flexible, blood compatible and able to withstand being in the human body," she asserted.

Maguire agreed the new agreement opened up a raft of possibilities, including biomaterials approaches to plastic surgery, drug delivery and a range of other medical applications.

"We have an array of products planned. We are already working on a licence with a large orthopaedic supplier, and we are in discussions with other logical corporate partners for these products," he said.