Biologically-Free Amino-Acid Nanofiber Scaffold for Rotator Cuff Repair - Enhanced Shelf Life and Simplified Logistics

There are 130,000 RTC injuries in the military annually, with post-surgery retear rates around 40%. Annually,  the military loses $500M in medical expenses and 2.5 million collective lost duty days for shoulder injuries alone. RTC re-tears are especially common among active duty service members because of trauma or training. DAF End users complain that current solutions are too expensive and complicated; they want something cost-effective that will mimic a biological material while being easy to handle. Tendon healing involves a complex sequence between stages of inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling cycles, but the regenerated tissue can be biomechanically inferior to the native tendon. According to orthopedic surgeons, the biggest Problem with the current RTC repair method is how sutures frequently pull through and “cheese-wire” the patient’s tissue, leading to retears that can be permanently restricting at best, or irreparable at worst. The best “solution” at this time is cadaver skin patches which do not significantly reduce retear rates, and attempts to make stronger patches only produce greater inflammatory byproducts, limiting the body’s ability to heal. For these reasons, military orthopedic surgeons are seeking a solution to reduce RTC retear rates among active duty airmen; MatriNova for RTC repair can be that solution. MatriNova is a strong nanofiber scaffold placed at the tendon-bone interface, designed to hold the tendon to the bone while slow-releasing drugs that encourage regrowth, preventing suture pull-through and improving long-term patient outcomes. The unique high-surface area and surface properties of MatriNova allows the scaffold to hold the patient’s own active biology directly at the repair site. As the tissue heals, MatriNova degrades into amino acids without causing inflammation. MatriNova can be  incorporated into current RTC surgeries without the need for extra disposables or instrumentation that may add surgical time and increase procedural costs.