Collafix® Technology
The CollaFix® technology was invented and developed in Dr. Koob's Skeletal Biology research laboratory at the Shriners Hospital for Children in Tampa, Florida. The objective was to design and develop a biological and biomimetic 'prosthesis' that could be surgically implanted to assist in the repair of soft tissues, particularly orthopedic repairs of tendon and ligament.
The research produced collagen fibers that are over two times stronger than tendon fibers and, in addition, demonstrated that the biomaterial is biocompatible and biodegradable in laboratory animals. Pre-clinical animal trials established that devices made from these fibers were effective at facilitating repair of tendons, including high load bearing tendons such as the rabbit Achilles tendon.
Shriners Hopsital being a pediatric orthopedic hospital, the research naturally focused on musculoskeletal tissues, particularly the soft tissues of the skeleton, tendons and ligaments. That the bioprosthesis be fabricated from collagen was apparent since musculoskeletal soft tissues are composed almost exclusively of collagen. That it be in the form of a fiber was necessary in order to mimic the natural architecture of tendon and ligament. The second challenge was to stabilize the collagen structures so that they would be mechanically similar to tendon, they would last long enough after implantation to support and facilitate the natural repair. The license to MiMedx is based on a unique cross-linking process that does just that. The cross-linking agent is a natural compound that mimics the polymerization mechanism that occurs in natural biological processes.
MiMedx licensed the CollaFix® technology, including two issued patents and five pending intellectual properties from Shriners Hospitals for Children and two patents from the University of South Florida and formed MiMedx Inc. in Tampa, Florida in 2007. The new company set out to commercialize the technology by transferring the laboratory based technology into a full-fledged manufacturing capability. The results were the development of high tech, proprietary manufacturing equipment that produces continuous lengths of spooled collagen fiber in a variety of configurations.
MiMedx's CollaFix® core technology is initially being targeted for orthopedic soft tissue repair. Our first products are designed for soft tissue and tendon repair. We expect to build future products on the same technology platform, include ligament repair. The breadth of the CollaFix® technology does not stop there. Both the manufacturing component and the device production are being developed to address issues associated with the repair of all soft tissues. The possibilities of what this technology can achieve for soft tissue repair have yet to be fully realized.
CollaFix® Tendon Protector CollaFix® BioBraid Gapped Achilles Tendon CollaFix® Techniques in Rotator Cuff Repair CollaFix® Suture - Cosmesis & Applications CollaFix® Techniques in Foot & Ankle
