Desktop Health
Nicole Black PhD working with PhonoGraft technology.
Desktop Metal’s Desktop Health brand has announced the acquisition of a technology that is being developed for use in an implantable device for repairing damaged eardrums.
PhonoGraft technology was initially developed by researchers at Harvard University’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and uses a programmable biodegradable 3D printed graft. This 3D printed graft is said to have the potential to be minimally invasive, help to decrease procedure time and enable improved healing. As a result, Desktop Metal has sought an agreement to exclusively licence and commercialise the technology via Desktop Health.
The PhonoGraft device is a biomimetic graft that is believed to have the potential to enable long-lasting eardrum reconstruction. It has its roots in the aftermath of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, where many in attendance suffered eardrum perforations. Nicole Black, PhD - then a doctoral student in Jennifer Lewis, ScD’s Wyss Institute lab - began to explore ways in which 3D printing could be used to improve the outcomes of eardrum reconstruction, and aligned with a team of ear surgeons, material scientists and otolaryngologists.
After six years of research and development, Black and several colleagues had created and preclinically de-risked the PhonoGraft material and device platform, before setting up their Beacon Bio business to commercialise the technology. Beacon Bio has now been acquired by Desktop Metal, with Black joining Desktop Health as the Vice President of Biomaterials and Innovation to see through the technology’s commercialisation.
Desktop Health
“This device, which is manufactured from a biodegradable elastomer in the form of customisable biomimetic circular and radial scaffolds, is intended to function like the native eardrum,” commented Black. “Preliminary bench studies show that the PhonoGraft device not only closed the eardrum perforation; it supported the body’s regeneration of the complex eardrum structure. Such graft architectures benefit from the use of 3D printing and permit the eardrum to transmit both low- and high-frequency soundwaves.”
“We believe that this platform may one day offer a ground-breaking solution to the millions of patients impacted by tympanic membrane perforation (TMP),” added Michael Jafar, President and CEO of Desktop Health. “PhonoGraft material technology, coupled with our leading biofabrication capabilities, has tremendous potential across a wide range of healthcare applications in soft tissue – from cardiovascular and neuronal grafts to plastic surgery. Today’s announcement marks the beginning of our journey to advance personalised medicine.”
In preclinical studies, the PhonoGraft has been validated in animal models, with results showing that as the eardrum heals, native cells and blood vessels grow into the biocompatible PhonoGraft material. Since the graft material is biodegradable, it is expected to be replaced by native issue over time. It is believed that PhonoGraft technology, which will be subject to additional preclinical studies before an FDA review is pursued, has the potential to ‘intelligently’ support the regeneration of soft tissues in other areas of the body.
“I’m delighted for the members of my lab at Harvard and our collaborators at Mass Eye and Ear who jointly developed this innovative technology, and who successfully applied their entrepreneurial drive to demonstrate its potential,” offered Lewis, who is Core Faculty member at the Wyss Institute. “In addition to TMP relief, this advanced graft technology could pave the way for a multitude of healthcare products in the fields of cardiac, vascular and plastic surgery.”
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