Log in
Research by Professor Joost de Bruijn and team at QMUL from 2004 was critical to demonstrating the efficacy and commercial viability of a novel Instructive Bone Graft (IBG) product, AttraXTM. The technology, commercialised via the spin-out business Progentix Orthobiology BV (founded in 2007) was sufficiently mature by 2008 to attract series A investment of €1 million series A financing by BioGeneration Ventures. The development of AttraXTM has led to a trade sale totalling up to US$ 80 million to the global top 5 spine company NuVasive Inc. in 2009. In 2011 an exclusive distribution deal with a global top 3 dental company was signed for use of the technology in the field of dentistry and craniomaxillofacial surgery. After regulatory approval of AttraXTM in Europe (CE mark), the product was commercialised in 2011 and has been used successfully in more than eleven thousand patients (as of 2013Q3) with global reach (including EU, US, Australia, New Zealand and Brazil). Within 1 year of commercialisation, a 1.1% share of the estimated US$2 billion global spinal bone graft market has been achieved. This research has seen an economical benefit in terms of newly formed jobs from 2 FTE in 2008 to 25 FTE in 2013 at Progentix Orthobiology BV.
Seminal materials research at QMUL and its technological transfer via the QMUL spin-out ApaTech™, has led to the development of a range of cost-effective synthetic bone graft (SBG) products (ApaPore™, Actifuse™ and Inductigraft™), which safely and effectively stimulate rapid bone healing and are more reliable than previous autograft procedures. The successful use of the ApaTech™ range of products has delivered impact on health and welfare by reducing post-operative infection risks and improving recovery rates. To date, ApaTech™ products have been used to treat over 370,000 patients in over 30 countries. In 2010, ApaTech™ had 4% of the US SBG market, a $20 million annual turnover, employed 160 people in nine countries, and was sold to Baxter International for £220 million. By 2012, ApaTech™ products had attained a 10% share of the global SBG market (treating 125,000 patients per annum), estimated to be around $510 million. Other impacts include altering surgical clinical practice away from the use of autograft.
Seven patients with avascular necrosis of the femoral head and bone cysts have been treated successfully with skeletal stem cell therapy, developed by Southampton researchers, resulting in an improved quality of life. This unique multi-disciplinary approach linking nano-bioengineering and stem cell research could revolutionise treatment for the 4,000 patients requiring surgery each year in the UK and reduce a huge financial burden on the NHS. The work has been granted three patents and the team are in discussions on development of the next generation of orthopaedic implants with industry.
Novel low-wear, high-strength glass-ceramics were developed at Queen Mary in 2000-2011 by Dr Cattell's team to prevent facture and wear of dental ceramic restorations. Over three million restorations have been provided for patients and sold in 46 countries. The product has won industry awards for clinical and cosmetic excellence from the Clinical Research Associates and Dental Advisor, who externally assess products for consumers. The product uses a 100% pain-free minimally invasive approach, saving as much as 20% enamel reduction per patient, as tooth preparation and anaesthesia are not required. We also estimate a substantial reduction in tooth enamel wear of 43-46% for this nano-scale product compared to commercial porcelain. It has high patient acceptance and satisfaction, and has received media coverage worldwide.
Research into the biocompatibility of glass-ionomer bone cements conducted at the School of Clinical Dentistry led directly to the start-up of a UK company to manufacture a new medical device, creating jobs in the supply chain and wealth creation via international sales. The new bone cement is safe and clinically effective, and has maintained or restored hearing to improve the quality of life of over 10,000 patients worldwide since 1st January 2008. In the course of supporting this commercial partner, Sheffield's staff also contributed to other non-academic tasks.
The transition, at the end of the 20th century, from ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) to hydrofluoralkane (HFA) propellants in metered dose inhalers (MDIs), for drug delivery to the upper airways in the lungs, taxed the ingenuity of formulation scientists and device design engineers. The regulatory requirement for clinical equivalence between the CFC and HFA products demanded an unchanged drug dosing regimen and identical lung deposition profiles.
Research funded by Chiesi Farmaceutici (Parma, Italy) in the Centre of Drug Formulation Studies (CDFS) at the University of Bath led to development of the Modulite® technology which met the challenges posed and mimicked the performance of CFC MDI using HFA propellants. The proprietary technology enabled Chiesi to re-formulate and commercialise a number of products, which now represent mainstay therapies in the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
The Modulite® technology has provided the greatest contribution to both the turnover and the global development of the Chiesi group, via several successful in-house developmements and collaboration agreements with leading pharmaceutical companies. Global sales of Chiesi's Atimos Modulite®, Fostair/Foster (25% of sales) and Clenil Modulite® (14.4% of sales) MDI products produced revenue of in excess of $450 Million in 2012.