How desperate would you be to surgically implant a kangaroo tendon into your knee?

Sydney biotech Allegra Orthopaedics (ASX:AMT) is convinced there are people out there who will jump at the chance.

Allegra has signed a collaboration agreement with Bone Ligament Tendon (BLT), a company that registered in March this year — and has no apparent track record — to research commercialising human tendon products made from kangaroo.

“We believe that the kangaroo tendon can produce substantial penetration into the current algorithm of treatment options for tendon and ligament reconstruction for surgeons and their patients,” Allegra chief Jenny Swain said in a statement.

Tendon repair surgery currently involves either sewing a snapped tendon back together, or taking part of a tendon in another part of the body and grafting it onto the affected area.

“Allegra in collaboration with BLT aims to provide the market with an off-the-shelf tendon to repair torn or ruptured anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments of the knee, rotator cuffs of the shoulder, collateral ligaments of the elbow, tendons in the hands and feet,” the company said.

Kangaroo tendon is apparently three times stronger and two times stiffer than the human ACL tendon — and has a similar makeup to human tendons — according to University of Sydney studies reported by Allegra.

University of Sydney’s Medical School has ben contacted for comment

Allegra — and its former identity as Advanced Surgical Design and Manufacture (pre-2015) has made a profit once since it listed in 2006.

In 2008 it made a profit of $180,000. Last year, it attributed a $2 million loss on a decision to outsource manufacturing.

Two rights issues, in 2013 and 2014, were successful but a $1.2 million placement fell short this year.

Allegra’s shares trade at about 12.5c, giving it a market cap of $9.1 million.