Two professors from West Lafayette, Ind.-based Purdue University developed a shoulder implant that uses a patient's stem cells to help repair the rotator cuff.
The implant, called BioEnthesis, is a small sponge-like scaffold made of human tissue, according to a March 31 news release. It has a soft tissue layer to merge with the shoulder tendon and a hard tissue layer to allow stem cells to regrow the bone.
Eric Nauman, PhD, and Darryl Dickerson, PhD, developed BioEnthesis when exploring the challenge of attaching muscle tendons to bone, according to the release.
"We had figured out how to re-create a major part of ligaments and tendons, but we didn't have a good way to attach that soft tissue to the bone," Dr. Dickerson said. "Attachment to the bone is critical for the structure to be able to perform."
The first surgeries with BioEnthesis were done at Chicago-based Rush University Medical Center in February, and in March, Sparta Biopharma brought the implant to market.