Aus start-up completes first-in-human trial of bone 'glue'

Australian biotech company Trimph has successfully completed a first-in-human trial of its proprietary bone ‘glue’ — said to be the only bone graft substitute in the world to be applied in liquid form.

The company’s first product, TrimphDent, has been developed specifically for dental applications. It provides an instant scaffold that helps the host bone tissue to preserve its volume and structure, and also accelerates the healing process post tooth extraction. The intellectual property behind the bone glue technology, developed at the University of Sydney, has been granted patents in the US and EU. 

The global dental bone graft substitutes market is projected to reach US$900 million by 2021, and socket preservation — the procedure which Trimph is transforming — is currently the largest application segment at 23.3% of the global market.

“TrimphDent is unique as it requires no specialised preparation, socket packing or additional surgical expertise; it is simply injected into the cavity left by the extracted tooth, where it supports the blood clot formed at the site and, over time, promotes bone growth throughout its matrix structure,” said Dr Ali Fathi, president and co-founder of Trimph.

“Because of how easily it can be applied, many more implant procedures can be performed in private and rural centres — lessening the encumbrance on major hospitals, significantly reducing the cost of the surgeries, halving recovery time and preventing the need for invasive secondary procedures.”

The technology behind TrimphDent can also be used to treat many additional pathologies, including osteoarthritis, bone defects and traumas, and Trimph plans to expand the use of the technology to the US$3.2 billion orthopaedic market as well.

“The rapid success of this pilot trial in just 18 months from incorporation is extremely rare for a class III medical device, and means we are well ahead of our original timeline to reaching the Australian and European markets. This should give us time to develop additional applications for use in other surgeries involving bone matter,” said Dr Fathi.

Since incorporation Trimph has secured more than $3.4 million from private and public sources, including $1.4 million from the AusIndustry’s Accelerating Commercialisation Program. Start-up incubator Cicada Innovations, on behalf of NSW Health, assisted in commercialisation of this technology. Trimph entered the incubator following a Commercialisation Training Program. 

Trimph will now continue additional patient studies in Perth and is establishing another trial in Sydney, and will be raising capital from both private and public sources in coming months.

“The advanced, science-backed research produced by Dr Fathi at Sydney University is exactly the type of research we are constantly looking to tap into here at Cicada Innovations,” said Petra Andrén, CEO of Cicada Innovations. “Transforming outstanding researchers like Dr Fathi into entrepreneurs helps us to transport their technology from a research laboratory benchtop, to a hospital bedside.

“The speed at which Trimph has achieved such great results is testament to the breakthrough nature of their research, and we are excited to assist in bringing this technology to the millions of people around the world whose lives it could potentially transform,” said Andrén.

Image supplied by Trimph.