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ORTHOWORLD Members often ask for help identifying new companies. In this new recurring feature, we seek to share startups and companies that we recently came across. These entities may have received funding, a first FDA 510(k) clearance, made acquisitions or entered into partnerships.
In this round, we highlight orthobiologic, spine, sports medicine and enabling technology companies.
Biologics4Life
Pertuis, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, France
Secured a License to Bone Tissue Regeneration Technology
In 1Q20, Biologics4Life completed an exclusive licensing agreement, securing rights to initial technologies for advanced bone tissue regeneration.
The license laid the groundwork for the company’s 2020 and 2021 objectives: completion of manufacturing engineering and market launch. The company has reached the industrialization phase of its first technology, an injectable, ergonomic and modular bone cement.
Biologics4Life is developing a range of patented biomaterials for bone regeneration, and seeks to create a pipeline of advanced biomaterials to provide modular options for the treatment of bone voids and lesions. The startup targets two foreign markets in particular, the U.S. and Brazil.
In 2Q20, the company received funding of €250,000 (~USD $290,550) from the French Tech Seed Provence fund. The funding will support structuring of the business, staffing and development milestones.
Biologics4Life formed in 2018. Founders, managers and team members bring experience from 3M Healthcare, Biotechni, Graftys and Zimmer.
Indius Medical Technologies
Pune, India
Indius Medical, SEA-LINK Anterior Cervical Plate
Gained FDA 510(k) Clearance for SEA-LINK Anterior Cervical Plate
This is the company’s first FDA clearance. The plate features a large mediolateral window for graft visualization, a cam-based locking mechanism to ensure positive locking and prevent screw back out, and Torx based screws to prevent stripping. The instrument set is designed to facilitate efficient work flow during surgery.
The company’s other products include cervical and lumbar interbody spacers, lumbar pedicle screw and a corpectomy spacer.
The company was founded in 2016 and has a dedicated focus on the development of solutions for the treatment of pediatric spinal deformities. The Founder and CEO was formerly Director of Product Development at Globus Medical, while another director brings experience from Globus Medical, Stryker Spine and Synthes.
maruho medical
Marietta, Georgia
Acquired Valeris Medical
In 1Q20, maruho purchased Valeris. Both companies offer devices for soft tissue repair, such as sutures, a suture passer, interference screws, etc. The transaction complements maruho’s itto, an all-inside bi-directional Continuous Suture Passer, and creates immediate synergies in commercialization, manufacturing and operations.
The acquisition brought with it apollo suture anchors, the bonecam labral anchor, titan interference screws, etc.
Founded in 2018, maruho medical is the U.S. orthopedic subsidiary of Maruho Co., Ltd., a Japanese dermatological pharmaceutical company. The subsidiary offers a comprehensive portfolio of orthopedic surgery products that complement arthroscopic shoulder, knee, hip, and extremity procedures. U.S. leadership has had experience at Integra LifeSciences, Medtronic, Smith+Nephew and Ziptek.
Proprio
Seattle, Washington
Proprio Surgical Navigation
Raised $23 Million for Surgical Navigation
Founded in 2016, the computational imaging company is developing enhanced visualization systems for precise surgical execution, synthesizing views from multiple sensors to allow users to navigate surgical environments in 3D.
This funding brings the total raised to $30 million, following a first round of $7 million in 2019. Proprio will use the financing to expand development teams, accelerate clinical and regulatory timelines, build commercialization capabilities and install the first Proprio systems. Presently, the company is running pilot programs in neuro and orthopedic surgery.
The Proprio system integrates robotics, artificial intelligence and computer vision to simplify surgical workflow, improve procedural accuracy and reduce or eliminate exposure to radiation. Proprio Vision addresses issues of increased surgical productivity while improving surgical precision. The Proprio platform also creates new data sets to improve clinical capability over the long term.
Proprio allows teams to see through obstructions, magnify in and out without losing depth of field or surface detail, align tools with pre-operative plans and collaborate with colleagues anywhere in the world.
Tissue Differentiation Intelligence – TDi
Delray Beach, Florida
TDi SonoVision
Gained FDA 510(k) Clearance for SonoVision™ Ultrasound Platform
TDi developed SonoVision using Artificial Intelligence to deliver visualization and evaluation capabilities for nerves, vasculature and other anatomical structures. By applying layers of image-processing algorithms to ultrasound images collected intraoperatively, SonoVision visually differentiates nerve, muscle, bone and vessels in real time. The new imaging modality for spine surgery is designed to overcome impracticalities of conventional ultrasound. SonoVision gained FDA 510(k) clearance in late 1Q20.
SonoVision is the first technology platform planned for commercial introduction by TDi. The company has multiple systems deployed for clinical study data collection under Institutional Review Board and for Alpha evaluations, focusing primarily on the clinical refinement of the lateral surgery access product. Expanded applications, including posterior access to the spine, 3D imaging and image-guided navigation integration, are in earlier stages of development.
TDi was founded in 2017. Leadership brings experience at KFx Medical and NuVasive, including industry veteran Alex Lukianov, Co-Founder, Chairman & CEO. In 2018, the company received $6 million in angel investor funding.
Julie A. Vetalice is ORTHOWORLD’s Editorial Assistant.
ORTHOWORLD Members often ask for help identifying new companies. In this new recurring feature, we seek to share startups and companies that we recently came across. These entities may have received funding, a first FDA 510(k) clearance, made acquisitions or entered into partnerships.
In this round, we highlight orthobiologic, spine, sports...
ORTHOWORLD Members often ask for help identifying new companies. In this new recurring feature, we seek to share startups and companies that we recently came across. These entities may have received funding, a first FDA 510(k) clearance, made acquisitions or entered into partnerships.
In this round, we highlight orthobiologic, spine, sports medicine and enabling technology companies.
Biologics4Life
Pertuis, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, France
Secured a License to Bone Tissue Regeneration Technology
In 1Q20, Biologics4Life completed an exclusive licensing agreement, securing rights to initial technologies for advanced bone tissue regeneration.
The license laid the groundwork for the company’s 2020 and 2021 objectives: completion of manufacturing engineering and market launch. The company has reached the industrialization phase of its first technology, an injectable, ergonomic and modular bone cement.
Biologics4Life is developing a range of patented biomaterials for bone regeneration, and seeks to create a pipeline of advanced biomaterials to provide modular options for the treatment of bone voids and lesions. The startup targets two foreign markets in particular, the U.S. and Brazil.
In 2Q20, the company received funding of €250,000 (~USD $290,550) from the French Tech Seed Provence fund. The funding will support structuring of the business, staffing and development milestones.
Biologics4Life formed in 2018. Founders, managers and team members bring experience from 3M Healthcare, Biotechni, Graftys and Zimmer.
Indius Medical Technologies
Pune, India
Indius Medical, SEA-LINK Anterior Cervical Plate
Gained FDA 510(k) Clearance for SEA-LINK Anterior Cervical Plate
This is the company’s first FDA clearance. The plate features a large mediolateral window for graft visualization, a cam-based locking mechanism to ensure positive locking and prevent screw back out, and Torx based screws to prevent stripping. The instrument set is designed to facilitate efficient work flow during surgery.
The company’s other products include cervical and lumbar interbody spacers, lumbar pedicle screw and a corpectomy spacer.
The company was founded in 2016 and has a dedicated focus on the development of solutions for the treatment of pediatric spinal deformities. The Founder and CEO was formerly Director of Product Development at Globus Medical, while another director brings experience from Globus Medical, Stryker Spine and Synthes.
maruho medical
Marietta, Georgia
Acquired Valeris Medical
In 1Q20, maruho purchased Valeris. Both companies offer devices for soft tissue repair, such as sutures, a suture passer, interference screws, etc. The transaction complements maruho’s itto, an all-inside bi-directional Continuous Suture Passer, and creates immediate synergies in commercialization, manufacturing and operations.
The acquisition brought with it apollo suture anchors, the bonecam labral anchor, titan interference screws, etc.
Founded in 2018, maruho medical is the U.S. orthopedic subsidiary of Maruho Co., Ltd., a Japanese dermatological pharmaceutical company. The subsidiary offers a comprehensive portfolio of orthopedic surgery products that complement arthroscopic shoulder, knee, hip, and extremity procedures. U.S. leadership has had experience at Integra LifeSciences, Medtronic, Smith+Nephew and Ziptek.
Proprio
Seattle, Washington
Proprio Surgical Navigation
Raised $23 Million for Surgical Navigation
Founded in 2016, the computational imaging company is developing enhanced visualization systems for precise surgical execution, synthesizing views from multiple sensors to allow users to navigate surgical environments in 3D.
This funding brings the total raised to $30 million, following a first round of $7 million in 2019. Proprio will use the financing to expand development teams, accelerate clinical and regulatory timelines, build commercialization capabilities and install the first Proprio systems. Presently, the company is running pilot programs in neuro and orthopedic surgery.
The Proprio system integrates robotics, artificial intelligence and computer vision to simplify surgical workflow, improve procedural accuracy and reduce or eliminate exposure to radiation. Proprio Vision addresses issues of increased surgical productivity while improving surgical precision. The Proprio platform also creates new data sets to improve clinical capability over the long term.
Proprio allows teams to see through obstructions, magnify in and out without losing depth of field or surface detail, align tools with pre-operative plans and collaborate with colleagues anywhere in the world.
Tissue Differentiation Intelligence – TDi
Delray Beach, Florida
TDi SonoVision
Gained FDA 510(k) Clearance for SonoVision™ Ultrasound Platform
TDi developed SonoVision using Artificial Intelligence to deliver visualization and evaluation capabilities for nerves, vasculature and other anatomical structures. By applying layers of image-processing algorithms to ultrasound images collected intraoperatively, SonoVision visually differentiates nerve, muscle, bone and vessels in real time. The new imaging modality for spine surgery is designed to overcome impracticalities of conventional ultrasound. SonoVision gained FDA 510(k) clearance in late 1Q20.
SonoVision is the first technology platform planned for commercial introduction by TDi. The company has multiple systems deployed for clinical study data collection under Institutional Review Board and for Alpha evaluations, focusing primarily on the clinical refinement of the lateral surgery access product. Expanded applications, including posterior access to the spine, 3D imaging and image-guided navigation integration, are in earlier stages of development.
TDi was founded in 2017. Leadership brings experience at KFx Medical and NuVasive, including industry veteran Alex Lukianov, Co-Founder, Chairman & CEO. In 2018, the company received $6 million in angel investor funding.
Julie A. Vetalice is ORTHOWORLD’s Editorial Assistant.
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Julie Vetalice is ORTHOWORLD's Editorial Assistant. She has covered the orthopedic industry for over 20 years, having joined the company in 1999.
