Tyber Medical said yesterday it acquired an exclusive licensing agreement for Northeastern’s BioTy antimicrobial surface coating technology designed for orthopedic applications.
The agreement includes refining the manufacturing process as well as supplying funding for ongoing scientific studies, the Morristown, N.J.-based company said.
“We see 3 significant benefits resulting from our new BioTy technology. Initially, it may enable us to be 1st to market with implants that exhibit exceptional infection control properties. Second, by tailoring implant surface characteristics, we can optimize certain qualities of the implant, such as boney ingrowth and attachment, to meet the needs of specific clinical applications. Lastly, the potential inherent antimicrobial properties of the BioTy process may negate the need and expense of pharmaceutical agents. As a result, cost effective infection control may be within our reach,” founder and president Jeff Tyber said in prepared remarks.
The BioTy coating exhibits unique charactersitics on a nanoscale that can potentially reduce infections when used on implants, Tyber Medical said. The coating can be used on a variety of materials including titanium, stainless steel, cobalt chrome and polyether ether keton, the company said.
“Exciting new research suggests that implant nanoscale features alone, without using pharmaceutical agents, can inhibit bacteria and virus functions to improve medical device performance. I’m also very pleased to be working with Tyber Medical to further develop the BioTy technology for use on a wide range of surgical implants,” advisory board member Thomas Webster said in a press release.
Implants often develop biofilm layers that are resistant to antibiotic therapy and make treating post-implant infections difficult, Tyber Medical said.
Infections from medical devices account for approximately 31% of all healthcare associated infections among hospitalized patients, and cost the U.S. healthare system approximately $35.7-$45 billlion annually, the company said.
