Revolutionising bone fracture repair with JAZBI™ implants from SDIP Innovations. By Roya Soleimani Winner
From an early age, Dr. Maryam Parviz was inspired to innovate, even channelling her creativity into drawing and designing a more comfortable hearing aid for her mother. Today, as a biomedical engineer, scientist, and CEO and Co-Founder of SDIP Innovations, she is at the forefront of designing medical devices that will transform bone repair, while also advancing manufacturing excellence and capabilities in New South Wales.
Driven by witnessing the distress faced by pediatric patients and their families due to repetitive orthopaedic surgeries, SDIP’s Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Iman Manavitehrani teamed up with Dr. Parviz motivated to develop a transformative solution. Their goal: to pioneer a product that reduces the need for multiple surgeries and improves treatment outcomes for both patients and healthcare providers.
Challenges with traditional bone repair
Traditionally, repairing bone fractures involved plaster casts and moulds. As medical technology advanced, the use of metallic implants became widespread. However, these implants have introduced significant issues, including pain after insertion, inflammation, and the potential need for revision surgeries. They also present a particular challenge for younger patients: as children grow, the non-adapting implants can impede natural bone growth.
“Metal implants often need to be removed once the bone has healed, leading to public health costs that can reach billions of dollars each year,” explains Dr. Maryam Parviz. The process of removing these implants can extend hospital stays and increase the risk of surgery-related complications, such as infections. “Removing a metal implant can also weaken the bone’s structure by 20%-50%,” adds Parviz. These challenges were key motivators in SDIP Innovations and the development of new bone implant technologies.
A new era of bone implants and scaffolding: introducing JAZBI
SDIP Innovation’s JAZBI™ implants represent a significant advancement in bone implant systems, offering a safe and adaptable solution that closely mimics natural bone composition. Designed to stimulate new cell growth and biodegrade completely, leaving no residue, these implants aim to make bone fracture repair less painful, more cost-effective, and less prone to complications.
“Our goal is to provide safe and natural implants that give surgeons enhanced control and the flexibility to tailor bone fillers on the spot during surgery, ensuring a perfect fit for each patient’s specific requirements,” Dr. Parviz shares. “This approach benefits both patients and their healthcare providers, and potentially decreases time in the surgery by 15-20 minutes.”
Drs. Parviz’s and Manavitehrani’s approach to bone healing extends beyond mere replacement. The JAZBI™ implants, which include various shapes such as wedges, cubes, and rods, are designed to integrate seamlessly into the site of the fracture, supporting and accelerating the natural bone regeneration process. For particularly challenging cases, such as tumour removal, SDIP provides a custom kit that allows surgeons to tailor the implant on the spot during surgery, ensuring perfect fit and optimal healing conditions.
ISO-7 and ISO-8 Certification and unique manufacturing capabilities
SDIPs manufacturing facility is as unique as their innovations and includes multiple elements of their company under one roof. They have a custom-built and mobile ISO-7 and ISO-8 certified cleanroom that meets stringent international standards for cleanliness and safety. In the same facility, they also have their R&D lab and office space, allowing them to seamlessly integrate both sides of the company.
The facility’s unique manufacturing capabilities such as advanced polymer processing techniques, injection and compression molds, and 3D printers. They also seal, package and ship their products directly from their facility.
From pellets and powders to polymers
JAZBI™ bone implants consist of a highly porous matrix crafted from polymers, which are synthetic materials formed by linking repeated small molecules. “The structure of these implants includes tiny pores that replicate the intricate architecture of natural bone,” Dr. Parviz describes. “To enhance the effectiveness of this scaffolding, we incorporate ceramics to further induce the native bony cells to regeneration” she continues. SDIP’s current manufacturing capacity allows processing plastic and ceramics pellets and powders to build solid and porous constructs. Mixing and melting plastics at SDIP’s facility can be run for large batches and small batches as little as 30g. After further processes, the products are packaged using a double sterile barrier system under the same roof. The result is an implant that mimics the natural bone structure and supports bone remodeling to effectively heal fractures.
“Not only does the implant mend the broken bone, but it also integrates smoothly to replace the damaged bone, potentially enhancing the patient’s long-term health,” Parviz notes. The Pellets and powders are processed to build synthetic porous bone implants with various shapes and pore structures.
Made in Australia with a vision to be exported globally
Globally, up to 37 million fragility fractures occur annually in individuals aged over 55, the equivalent of 70 fractures per minute, and there has been a 33.4% global increase in bone fractures since 1990. “We want to continue to innovate and manufacture in Australia. Once we receive FDA approval, our vision is to export JAZBI™ products to the United States and around the world.”
By continuing to develop and grow in New South Wales, SDIP Innovations is hopeful for more public and private support. They can also continue to bring jobs and economic growth to the region, all while bringing innovation from Australia to the international community.