Bradley Estes, PhD, founder and CEO of CytexOrtho, gave the winning presentation at the OrthoPitch Technology Competition on Tuesday evening. CytexOrtho won for their ReNew Hip implant, a novel implant designed to naturally restore joints rather than artificially replacing them.
Published 3/8/2024
AAOS named CytexOrtho the winner of the inaugural OrthoPitch Technology Competition on Tuesday evening. Through the competition, AAOS aims to fuel innovation and foster advancements with the potential to transform or improve existing standards of orthopaedic care.
CytexOrtho, a pre-clinical stage medical device company working to advance orthopaedic treatment options for cartilage repair, presented a novel implant designed to naturally restore joints instead of artificially replacing them. The ReNew Hip implant offers an innovative solution for the millions of active patients with early hip disease who are too young for a total hip replacement.
“The ReNew Hip implant is comprised of two very special components—one is a 3D-woven textile and the other is a high precision, Tru3D printed component,” said Bradley Estes, PhD, founder and CEO of CytexOrtho, during the live pitch event. “The integration of these two components give us an implant that not only recreates the form and contour of a healthy articular joint surface but also recreates the function of articular cartilage and bone.”
According to Dr. Estes, surgeons remove only the damaged tissue and replace it with the implant. The implant restores the joint to its proper form and contour, and over time, cells move into the gaps in the layers of the implant and form functional tissue while the implant is slowly absorbed into the body. The technology received an FDA Breakthrough Device designation and is poised to finish its phase 1 clinical trial and launch a phase 2 clinical trial once additional funding is secured.
Presented by AAOS and sponsored by MCRA, OrthoPitch kicked off in July 2023 with a call for companies to submit a new technology or product concept with a focus on its impact on the practice of medicine and patient care. The AAOS Devices, Biologics, and Technology (DBT) Committee conducted a multistage review process focused on ease to market, reimbursement coverage, impact on market, and commercialization. The top four submissions—Biomedical Bonding AB, CytexOrtho, nView medical, and Solenic Medical—were invited to pitch their concept live to a distinguished panel of regulatory, reimbursement, and commercialization experts, physicians, and investors during the event on Tuesday evening. Following the pitches, the audience was treated to a spirited round of questions from the panel of judges. Ultimately, CytexOrtho was named the winner, impressing both the judges and audience, which contributed to the outcome via a live online vote.
“Orthopaedic surgeons are at the forefront of new procedures and technologies to optimize patient care in an evidence-based approach,” said Jason L. Dragoo, MD, FAAOS, and DBT Committee chair. “With programs such as OrthoPitch, we’re able to nurture innovations from the ground up and witness energy and excitement for the future of musculoskeletal care. The experience of being in person at the AAOS Annual Meeting gave new meaning to ‘pitching a deal’ and allowed each finalist the opportunity to receive valuable feedback.”
To learn more about the OrthoPitch terms and conditions, visit AAOS.org/OrthoPitch. For information about CytexOrtho, visit cytexortho.com.