Novel scaffold structure for meniscocapsular tissue attachment and ingrowth for performance enhancement of a synthetic total meniscus replacement

Over 4 million people annually in the UK are affected by pain and immobility caused by a deficient meniscus in the knee, costing the equivalent of 1% GNP. This includes those suffering from age-related osteoarthritis as well as meniscal damage from accidents or sports injuries. Treatment options have been limited by challenges in developing load-bearing materials with suitable surface characteristics and fixation methods to form an anatomical replacement meniscus. In the absence of replacement devices, the standard of care for an irreparable meniscus (85% of all meniscal tears) is partial or complete removal (meniscectomy), with 2 million/year such procedures worldwide. The consequence is reduced quality of life for patients and a treatment gap for both early-stage irreparable meniscal injury and later stage degenerative disease that often necessitates knee replacement. Orthonika now seeks to leverage a novel deposition processes to augment the TMR peripheral surfaces with porous, polymeric scaffolds optimised for meniscocapsular in-growth, enabling first-of-its-kind strong, physiological fixation over its entirety, mimicking native menisci and maximising clinical performance. The resulting device is intended to emulate successful, established Meniscal Allograft Transplant (MAT) techniques, in a synthetic, off-the-shelf form.