Orthonika: New Spinout From Imperial College London

Medicine and engineering have come together again at Imperial Innovations, a UK entity focused on commercializing innovative technologies. They have just launched Orthonika, a spinout company from Imperial College London that is working on the creation of a new knee meniscus replacement.

According to the August 3, 2015 news release, “A team of Imperial scientists, led by Professors Andrew Amis (Mechanical Engineering) and Justin Cobb (Surgery & Cancer) have collaborated with Sierra MedTech to design a full substitution system for the knee meniscus. To do this, the scientists studied the structure and function of healthy menisci and applied unique manufacturing technologies to replicate the native structure and organisation of the tissue.”

Professors Amis and Cobb will sit on the company’s Board of Directors, alongside Mario Alberto Accardi, Ph.D., Massimiliano Graziosi and Dominique Kleyn from Sierra MedTech, and Tom Buckland from Imperial Innovations.

Professor Andrew Amis, co-founder of Orthonika, said in the August 3, 2015 news release “The meniscus has an extremely complex structure and is subject to high stresses. It needs to be both elastic and strong, capable of adapting to an individual’s movement. Our team has studied the structure of a natural meniscus and how it reacts to different forces to design a substitute that would function like a natural meniscus. We have also designed a surgical insertion procedure and related instruments, such as a secure means of fixation to the bone.

Commenting on the “unique manufacturing technologies to replicate the native structure and organisation of the tissue, ” Dr. Accardi told OTW, “Orthonika uses state of the art manufacturing capabilities that replicate the three-dimensional organisation and mechanics of native meniscus tissue. Specifically, Orthonika utilises a highly engineered, fibre reinforced design to mimic the complex anisotropic arrangement present within the tissue. By incorporating a fibre reinforced approach, Orthonika aims to manufacture a synthetic meniscus replacement product that mimics the complex mechanical properties of the tissue. Combining this manufacturing capability with the innovative research and experimentation undertaken at Imperial College London, the team has characterised the relationship between meniscus mechanical behaviour and the underlying structure and attachment mechanisms.”

“Within the next year, Orthonika will finalise designs for the artificial meniscus and plan for a large animal trial to evaluate device performance in vivo. We are extremely excited about the potential for our technology to provide patients with an alternative solution to traditional meniscus repair strategies and look forward to making formidable progress to move our device closer to the clinic.”

The news release stated, “Orthonika is a collaboration with Sierra MedTech, a specialist in the design and fabrication of engineered substrates for use in medicine. Orthonika has been launched through Co.Create, the company formation unit of Imperial Innovations.”