Public Funding for Accentus Medical Limited

Accentus is a UK-based medtech SME with a core project team of Philip Agg (CEO), James Shawcross (R&D Director), Andrew Turner (Principal Scientist), David Lewis (Laboratory Manager) and Agnes Gardner (Process Technician). Surgical site infections (SSIs) greatly diminish patient quality of life, as an intended treatment leads to complications that often require further hospitalisations and surgeries, with the attendant costs and risks. These follow-on treatments also represent a substantial cost burden to hospitals, drawing resources away from primary procedures. As hospitals try to reduce antibiotic use, which can increase the incidence of hospital-acquired infections, antimicrobial treatments on surgical implant surfaces are gaining prominence. However, no such treatments exist for cobalt-chromium materials, despite their common usage in implants. Accentus is developing an antimicrobial surface treatment for cobalt-chromium orthopaedic implants and a cost-effective method of application. This safe and effective treatment will retain the essential properties of the original material while reducing SSIs by \>50%, benefiting all patients but especially those needing limb salvage or revision. Accentus' approach is unique because it builds on a clinically proven technique and extends it to a new material.

The project will develop and evaluate a novel silver based anti-microbial surface treatment for application to complex orthopaedic device materials. The project will build on Accentus Medical's previous successful commercialisation of its proprietary Agluna® silver ion based anti-microbial technology for conventional titanium orthopaedic device surfaces. The current project is driven by recent market trend towards more complex device materials, such as 3-D porous structures formed by e.g. additive layer manufacturing techniques. With the clinical performance demonstrated by Agluna® in reducing the incidence and severity of post-operative infections with conventional device substrates, Accentus Medical is now seeking to address evolving market demand for a novel silver based antimicrobial surface treatment applied to more complex substrates. The project will demonstrate the basic safety and efficacy characteristics required of a viable surface technology, as well as the potential for the selected surface technology to be amenable to rigorous manufacturing process control requirements of the highly regulated orthopaedic device industry.

Awaiting Public Project Summary

Awaiting Public Project Summary

Awaiting Public Project Summary

Awaiting Public Project Summary

Awaiting Public Project Summary

Awaiting Public Project Summary

Awaiting Public Project Summary

Awaiting Public Project Summary

Awaiting Public Project Summary

Awaiting Public Project Summary

Awaiting Public Project Summary

Awaiting Public Project Summary

Awaiting Public Project Summary

Awaiting Public Project Summary

Awaiting Public Project Summary

Awaiting Public Project Summary

Accentus Medical Limited is seeking to commercialise Acusure Ag, its innovative silver ion based antimicrobial hydroxyapatite coating for orthopaedic implants. This project will transition the production process from a laboratory setting, to demonstration of a scaled-up manufacturing process enabling cost-effective commercial supply to Accentus Medical’s growing customer base of global orthopaedic device manufacturers. The key project innovation will be to develop control methodology delivering process capability for silver dosing of the implant surface consistent with the stringent process validation requirements of global medical device regulators. The Acusure Ag manufacturing process is currently at Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) 4. The planned project will develop the capability in a production relevant environment (MRL 6), providing the essential foundation for Accentus Medical to exploit the technology, from its UK manufacturing base, to an orthopaedic export market that is forecast to maintain sustained growth driven by global population ageing.