AorTech Biomaterials Pty Ltd Technology for Life
Overview
AorTech International plc, is an AIM (Alternate Investment Market), London listed company which wholly owns AorTech Biomaterials based in Melbourne, Australia.
AorTech Biomaterials was formed in July 1997 to commercialize a range of medical grade polyurethanes for medical implants developed by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO).The company owns all of the intellectual property to exploit Elast-Eon™ polyurethanes. It was fully acquired by AorTech in March 2001.
AorTech's vision for growth
AorTech is firmly focused on the development and refinement of polymeric material technologies for the medical community. Our aim is to provide a wide range of high performance Elast-Eon™ materials, in a variety of application specific formulations and densities, for use in medical devices. Revenue from the licensing and supply of Elast-Eon™ materials is currently generated through:
- Up-front license fees
- Milestone payments
- Product royalties
- Material supplies
Main business focus/
Listing by sector:
- Medical Devices - Biomaterials
- Cardiovascular
- Drug Delivery
Competitive Advantages
Polyurethanes have been used in medical devices for decades due to their outstanding mechanical properties and ability to be readily thermally processed. The applications have only been limited by the poor biological stability1 of soft grades. Silicone rubbers are widely used throughout the medical device industry and have been shown to have excellent biological performance. The application of these materials is limited by a lower level of mechanical performance and fewer processing options.
The ability to combine the advantageous properties of both materials in a single material was difficult to achieve due to vast incompatibility issues. Numerous research groups have tried to overcome this problem with a range of solutions. Ward et al2-3. investigated the incorporation of siloxane end-groups onto the surface of polyurethanes. However recent data has shown that degradation of the polyurethane under the silicone layer occurs in relatively short term implants4.
Pinchuk et al5 developed a composite material by covalently binding silicone rubber onto a polycarbonate based polyurethane. This approach has been extended by numerous research groups6-9, but such attempts have limited success without severely compromising mechanical performance.
Elast-Eon™
After a decade of fundamental research Gunatillake et al10-11 found a method of synthesis of co-polymers of silicone macrodiols and polyurethanes, with very high levels of silicone. These materials exhibit physical and mechanical performance equivalent to conventional polyurethanes and biological stability that surpasses rigid biostable polyurethanes. These materials are also readily thermally processed using conventional equipment and technologies.
AorTech Biomaterials acquired this technology and has invested significantly to create a state of the art manufacturing facility and Technology Centre in Melbourne Australia. The Technology Centre is ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 certified. All procedures are followed according to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).
Elast-Eon™ polymers are now widely accepted as being the most biostable of all polyurethane materials and as such are imminently suitable for long term implantation. The materials are available in a range of physical properties. These properties can also be customized according to demands of the application. AorTech Biomaterials has a long and successful history of working with different medical device applications and customizing relevant physical properties.
AorTech now also produces a solution grade polymer which possesses the same chemistry, mechanical and physical properties as Elast-Eon™ previously supplied in pellet form. The new solution grade retains all the biological stability and compatibility characteristics which Elast-Eon™ is renowned for.
Solution Grade Elast-Eon™ goes into solution at predicable rates and can be applied, with varying degrees of thickness (from 5 microns up to 250 microns), as a coating for implantable medical devices.
Technology/IP
AorTech was founded to commercialise an exclusive worldwide licence obtained from the Cooperative Research Centre for Cardiac Technology to exploit Elast-Eon™, a novel biocompatible polymer developed by CSIRO’s Division of Molecular Science researchers working in the CRC. These materials are employed in the fields of cardiovascular, interventional cardiology, cardiac rhythm management and orthopaedics. The Elast-Eon™ surface features are engineered at the nanometre scale to result in a material that has minimal tissue adhesion, an essential attribute of its biocompatibility.
Contact Details
| Contact person | Ajay Padsalgikar |
|---|---|
| Job Title | Director |
| Address | 1 Dalmore Road, Caribbean Park |
| City/Suburb | Scoresby |
| State | Victoria |
| info@aortechbio.com | |
| Phone | 61 3 9780 1700 |
| Fax | 61 3 9780 1777 |
| Website | http://www.aortech.com |
