PHT-GraftRepair

Overview

The Institute for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong has developed a novel biomaterial that is mechanically strong and 3D-printable for on-site hospital manufacturing and clinical repair. Various products range includes tendon grafts, bone-tendon grafts, and ear grafts

Commercialisation opportunities

technology licensing agreement

Problem addressed

Owing to is favourable mechanical properties and 3D-printability, PHT biomaterial can be rapidly fabricated into various medical grafts, devices, and implants for on-site, personalized implant manufacturing and facilitate tissue repair that may not be possible with current state-of-the-art.

Innovation

PHT biomaterial is mechanically strong and its strength can be tuned for various applications by post-processing methods
PHT biomaterial is 3D printable and can be used for on-site (hospital) manufacturing
Fabrication and post-processing of PHT biomaterial is facile and low-cost, enabling on-site (hospital) manufacturing

Key impact

High and tunable mechanical strength can increase repair efficacy
3D-printability enables fabrication of geometry and structures that can reduce stress and chance of repair failure
3D-printability enables on-site, personalized implant manufacturing, which reduces cost and allows for tailored medical treatment
For ear reconstruction, 3D printability can reduce clinician time and reduce patient morbidity (e.g., no need to harvest rib bone and carve it into an ear shape)

Application

Tendon Repair: Use as a tendon graft and can have an engineered surface to better organize tissue healing
Bone-Tendon Repair: This replaces suture anchors and tendon graft with one contiguous device, which has less chance of mechanical failure
Ear Reconstruction: A ear graft with a 3D-printed structure can be fabricated to be flexible and strong. This can compete with commercial ear grafts which despite being strong are rigid and prone to brittle fracture
Non biomedical use as a strong 3D-printed material

Patent

Patent application pending

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)

Founded in 1963, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is a forward-looking comprehensive research university with a global vision and a mission to combine tradition with modernity, and to bring together China and the West. CUHK teachers and students hail from all around the world. Four Nobel laureates are associated with the university, and it is the only tertiary institution in Hong Kong with recipients of the Nobel Prize, Turing Award, Fields Medal and Veblen Prize sitting as faculty in residence. CUHK graduates are connected worldwide through an extensive alumni network. CUHK undertakes a wide range of research programmes in many subject areas, and strives to provide scope for all academic staff to undertake consultancy and collaborative projects with industry.

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