Idea is just what the doctor ordered
THE FIRST Tees technology to benefit from a pilot £2.4m investment programme could shave millions of pounds from the health service budget and relieve pain for thousands of people who suffer joint fractures and breaks each year.
Cambfix is due to begin clinical trials at Middlesbrough’s James Cook Hospital where founder and inventor, orthopaedic surgeon Dr Ali Bajwa, developed his idea to replace plaster and pins with a groundbreaking material developed using £75,000 from the region’s Three Pillars Fund.
Launched in September, the fund, administered on behalf of One NorthEast by NStar Finance, invests in businesses in the energy, healthcare and health sciences, and process industries - three strategically important sectors earmarked for growth in the North-east. Cambfix is the first beneficiary.
“The treatment of fractures is a massive industry. Over 1.5 million ankle and wrist breaks are treated in Europe and the US each year. With lifestyle changes and an ageing population this is set to increase,” said Dr Bajwa. “Due to the nature of current treatments, about a third of these cases develop complications such as infection, stiffness and loss of fracture position. By fixing fractures without surgery or plaster, the Cambfix system could save the industry millions through improved efficiency.”
Amanda McMurray, Three Pillars fund manager, said it was the first investment of many on Teesside, with three more businesses, supported by the Centre for Process Innovation, due to go live in the next six months.
