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PBC Biomed is leading a consortium to develop a bone adhesive for the treatment of osteoporotic fractures. This partnership was recently awarded €3.4 million by the Irish Governments Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund, with an additional €2 million investment from industry partners associated with the project.
Development of a bone adhesive that can 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 funding award will support the expansion of this technology into other clinical applications, such as tissue regeneration and repair.
The consortium comprises PBC, 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.
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 commercializing 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.
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.
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.”
