Ligament cash injection

A consortium led by Cambridge-based OrthoMimetics has been awarded £747,000 from the UK Technology Strategy Board (TSB) to develop a porous, resorbable tissue-regeneration scaffold called LigaMimetic that uniquely mimics the composition and structure of ligaments.

It will be used initially to enhance existing surgical techniques for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, a procedure performed worldwide an estimated 500,000 times each year. For patients, this could mean a reduced risk of reinjury, a better chance of pain-free healing, and a greater likelihood of avoiding total joint replacement surgery later in life.

The award forms part of the TSB's remit to attract and develop technology intensive companies. It follows the 2007 launch of ChondroMimetic, OrthoMimetics' product for articular-cartilage repair, which was also developed with the help of an £817,000 UK-government grant.

Formed in 2005 as the first spin-out venture from the Cambridge-MIT Institute, OrthoMimetics is bringing to market a line of such medical  products, all of which are designed to improve the treatment outcome of surgical procedures for the regenerative repair of articular cartilage, ligament and tendon injuries.