Osteopore signs key collaboration to get a lift from orthopaedics

Osteopore has signed a key collaboration deal with a leading healthcare group in Singapore to further develop its products for bone and tissue regeneration.

Bone healing specialist Osteopore (ASX:OSX) has announced it has signed a collaboration agreement with SGX Catalist-listed Livingstone Health Holding (SGX:PRH), to jointly develop new applications and products for regenerating bone and tissue.

The Singapore-based multidisciplinary healthcare group’s core competencies include aesthetics and wellness, anaesthesiology, and pain management, family medicine, iInternal medicine, and orthopaedic surgery.

Livingstone Health has 19 medical doctors and healthcare professionals, practising at 14 medical clinics located throughout Singapore.

Surgeons to work closely with Osteopore

Under the collaborative agreement, Livingstone Health’s experienced surgeons will work closely with Osteopore to jointly develop products, solutions and therapies for bone and tissue regeneration using Osteopore’s bioresorbable implants.

Osteopore’s 3D-printed bioresorbable implants are proven, used in conjunction with existing surgical procedures and dissolve over time to leave only natural healthy bone.

The implants are gaining traction with surgeons all over the world, having largely outperformed traditional implant methods in terms of design, post-surgery complications and associated long-term health care costs.

Ground-breaking tendon repair

While it has been used for bone regrowth, Osteopore says the tech’s application is vast, and the company has been hoping to extend usage to cartilage, tendons, and ligaments.

To date, Osteomesh has been used in cranial (skull) and orbital (eye) reconstruction, as well as in rhinoplasty, as a cartilage support.

The partnership with Livingstone Health will enable the expansion of the Osteomesh in tendon repair, while also being the first time the products are used for orthopaedic applications in Singapore.

Livingstone Health surgeons will applying new and existing Osteopore implants in a clinical setting for orthopaedic procedures.

The first being Osteomesh, a rigid yet flexible bioresorbable scaffold, which will be used for tendon repair, including rotator cuff and Achilles tendon.

The second is an entirely new Osteopore product, a synthetic fibular strut graft, which will be used for bone reconstruction in the upper and lower limbs.

The synthetic fibular strut will reduce the need to harvest bone from the fibula (shin bone), avoiding additional procedures and associated complications.

The procedures form part of Osteopore’s strategy to not only develop new products, but also uncover new potential applications using its existing commercially available implants.

The company recently signed a deal to expand into South Africa, with a presence now on every continent.

Advancing orthopaedic medicine

The collaboration with Livingstone Health is a key step in expanding the commercial use of Osteopore’s platform technology.

Osteopore will gain access to important patient data to further support regulatory clearances, market adoption and penetration in Singapore and beyond.

Livingstone Health CEO Dr Wilson Tay says the company was committed to being a leader in the field of orthopedic medicine.

“It is an exciting partnership which puts Livingstone Health at the forefront of orthopaedic technology and is in line with the group’s commitment to providing holistic healthcare for our patients,” Dr Tay says.

“We look forward to working closely with Osteopore to develop cutting-edge products that accelerate healing and reduce the risk of complications patients face post-surgery.”

Osteopore executive chairman Mark Leong says the company is keenly anticipating its collaboration with the Livingstone Health orthopaedic team, to leverage their expertise and bring Osteopore’s proven tissue regeneration technology to their patients.

“We look forward to entering the orthopaedic space in Singapore having already successfully conducted several world-first orthopaedic surgeries in Australia, where our scaffolds helped regenerate a 36cm shin bone,” Leong says.

This article was developed in collaboration with Osteopore, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.