Swedish medical technology company Integrum, a pioneer in the use of osseointegration technology in creating artificial limbs for amputees, is celebrating its 25th year in the industry. Since then, Integrum has helped improve the lives of hundreds of people by allowing them to have a more active lifestyle.
Osseointegration is a technology developed by Professor Per-Ingvar Brånemark in the 1960s, and involves using titanium metal, which is not rejected by the body but instead integrates with the surrounding bone tissue. Initially, it was used for dental implants (and dental implants are still a major indication), but it was later adapted for prosthetic limbs. In 1998, Per-Ingvar's son Dr Rickard Brånemark founded Integrum, specializing in artificial limb technology attached using osseointegration techniques.
The following year, Integrum's OPRA™ Implant System received the CE Mark, allowing it to be distributed in Europe, and the system was soon used to treat patients in hospitals also in the UK and Australia. Integrum later began exploring approval for use in the US, with Brånemark attending meetings with the military to see how the OPRA™ Implant System could help soldiers who lost limbs in combat. In 2008, Integrum filed for FDA clearance, eventually receiving a humanitarian device exemption in 2015. The OPRA™ Implant System Fixture is coated with a new surface technology, BioHelix™, that has been developed by Integrum after 15 years of research and clinical testing. This surface modification promotes faster and stronger attachment to the bone, resulting in a stronger bone-to-implant interface.
In 2016, Rickard Brånemark, who was appointed visiting professor at the University of California San Francisco, conducted the first surgery using The OPRA™ Implant System in the US. Today, Integrum works with 15 of the top 20 hospitals in the US and continues to develop and refine the implant system. It has also developed new technologies, such as the implantable control system that recently received a $8.7 million NIH grant.
The implantantable control system allows bidirectional communication between the patient's brain and the prosthesis. Since it is a modular system, Integrum can place various types of electrodes inside, which will allow the patient's brain to control the artificial limb through muscles and peripheral nerves. The system does not require the installation of batteries inside the patient's body, creating better ease of maintenance, and it is shielded against electromagnetic interference. Brånemark says having a robust prosthetic limb system is important to ensure that it works every single time, especially since the wearer will be using it for critical tasks, such as driving a vehicle.
According to Brånemark, Integrum spent the past 25 years preparing a good foundation to scale up the business over time, and that he prefers steady and gradual growth over haphazard expansion and quick profit, to ensure that the technology is put to good use.
“Our technology is a groundbreaking development in amputee care. I want to work with partners and investors that understand how important this technology is in improving the lives of people who lost their limbs. This is much more than a business opportunity – this is, by far, the biggest-ever change in amputee care!,” Brånemark says.
Media contact:
Name: Rickard Bånemark, CEO
Email: [email protected]
