Orthonika awarded £1.34 million Innovate UK grant

Imperial College London spin-out Orthonika Limited has been awarded a £1.34 million grant from Innovate UK to complete pre-clinical development and testing of its synthetic total meniscus replacement in preparation for the clinic.

Orthonika’s novel total meniscus replacement is an orthopaedic implant for the knee joint that replicates the structure and function of the native meniscus in a first-of-its-kind synthetic option for patients.

Meniscus injury is severely debilitating and causes pain and restricted movement that limits everyday activities.

Current treatment options for the condition are limited to suture repair or meniscal allografts, which are in short supply and lead to long waiting times.

Where suture repair is not possible, the injured part or remaining meniscus is removed using meniscectomy to alleviate symptoms in the short term.

However, these patients are 14 times more likely to develop osteoarthritis.

Meniscectomy is the most common orthopaedic surgical intervention worldwide, with nearly 2 million interventions performed each year.

There are currently no approved total meniscus replacements for these patients.

Maria Kristina Bartolo, PhD, Chief Technology Officer at Orthonika, said:

“There is currently no widely available treatment solution that allows patients to return to a pain free active lifestyle following meniscectomy.

“We are delighted that Innovate UK has recognised the potential for our novel total meniscus replacement to fulfil a significant unmet clinical need and further promote joint preservation.”

Dominique Kleyn, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, said:

“This highly competitive award brings additional resource for Orthonika to further expand the team, engage with development partners and manufacturers, and accelerate plans to take our total meniscus replacement product into first in human studies.”

Orthonika has now been awarded five Innovate UK grant awarded to Orthonika, bringing total grant funding to £2 million.

The company has also raised equity funding to further support its R&D efforts.