Disc with a difference

in the early 90s, when latex allergies were causing medical concern, UK chemist Geoffrey Andrews had the idea that polyurethane would be the ideal replacement material. As well as using it for obvious applications like doctor's gloves, he felt that the versatile polymer could be used in a wide range of products from urethral catheters to angioplasty balloons.

Andrews had experience of making polyurethane, and he called on an old colleague, chemist Robert Snell, to help him develop a method for designing and manufacturing safe medical products.

Their company, Cambridge-based

, has been running profitably since 1995 producing a range of medical products such as the urethral catheters and angioplasty balloons.

Recently, however, the company has turned its entire focus on a spinal disc replacement called Compliant Artificial spinal disc, or CAdisc. Although still under development, the company hopes that in a couple of years, after clinical trials, the device will be a more comfortable and durable alternative to traditional replacements.