Opportunities
Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Fixation Device
The Technology
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury affects 1 in 3500 people, resulting in 95,000 new ACL ruptures per year. ACL reconstruction can involve using a patient's own hamstring tendon to form a quadruple graft that is secured in the tibia and femur. The failure rate of ACL reconstruction is between 5 and 25%, and the main cause of graft failure is loss of graft fixation within the tibia.
A new ACL tibial fixation device has been developed by a surgeon at the University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust in collaboration with mechanical engineers at the University of Manchester. The new device has only been tested using finite element analysis (computer modelling) to date.
However, the results suggest that the new device has a maximum pull-out force which is three times higher than a standard interference screw and almost twice as high as the level exhibited by the IntrafixTM system (see figure 1).
Graph comparing the pull-out forces required to remove a graft from a bone tunnel for the new device, a standard interference screw and the Intrafix™ system, against normalised time (data based on finite element analysis).
The Advantages
- Greater pull-out force required when compared with other fixation devices
- Patent application filed.
The Potential Market
Approximately 60,000-75,000 ACL reconstructions are performed in the US alone each year.
The Opportunities
We are seeking a commercial partner experienced in the development, manufacture and sale of orthopaedic devices. A licence arrangement or a collaborative development project are both possibilities.
The Contact
For more information about this or other technologies available for commercialisation through TrusTECH, contact:
Dr Joanne Thomas
Senior Technology Manager
TrusTECH, Innovation Unit
1st Floor, Postgraduate Centre
Manchester Royal Infirmary
Manchester
M13 9WL
T: 0161 276 6965