Embody, Inc., a privately-held medical device company focused on soft tissue repair, announced today they have received a notice of award on a $2.5 million Phase II SBIR through the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), extending the total funding from DARPA to $14.35 million in non-dilutive funding. The Phase II award will fund the development and clinical assessment of Embody’s MICROBRACE™ ACL technology for the repair of Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries.
This SBIR award is part of the DARPA Atoms 2 Products program aimed at delivering never-before-seen functionality by using scalable processes to assemble fully 3-dimensional devices that include nanometer- to micron-scale components. Embody has developed advanced biofabrication techniques to assemble collagen from the molecular-to-product scale to produce a high strength biocompatible repair material with tailorable 3D structure befitting to ACL repair. The MICROBRACE™ for ACL is a stand-alone, off-the shelf solution designed to immediately restore mechanical stability to the knee joint and gradually remodel over time.
“We are excited for this opportunity to extend our work with DARPA and apply our collagen microfiber technology to a significant clinical application,” says Jeff Conroy, CEO at Embody. “This funding represents the next significant step in the commercialization of Embody’s MICROBRACE for ACL repair.”
“A collagen implant that provides strength long enough to protect a surgical repair or reconstruction yet remodels over time is quite desirable. There are numerous potential applications for the Embody MICROBRACE including ACL surgery,” commented Kevin F. Bonner, MD, an orthopedic surgeon and Director of the Research Foundation at The Jordan-Young Institute in Virginia Beach, VA.
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Source: Biospace
