About Orthox

Spidrex is a silk biomaterial which supports regeneration of the body's tissue and cells. Here, regenerating nerve cells can be seen in red growing along Spidrex fibres (purple) and supported by glial cell nuclei (blue). Image courtesy of J. Priestley, Neurotex Ltd.

Orthox is the third medical device spin out venture from parent company Oxford Biomaterials, the previous two being Neurotex Ltd. and Suturox Ltd. both of which attracted significant commercial seed finance. Neurotex, developing nerve repair devices, and Suturox, commercialising wound closure products both employ the Spidrex® silk protein technology pioneered by Oxford Biomaterials.

Taking advantage of the remarkable strength and tissue regenerative capacity of Spidrex® (right), Orthox will develop Spidrex® technology for a range of applications in bone and joint repair, with an initial focus on addressing the largely unsolved problem of replacement and repair of the meniscal cartilage in the knee.

The Spidrex® technology platform was born out of Professor Fritz Vollrath's Oxford Silk Group in the Department of Zoology at Oxford University. Together with Dr David Knight, he founded Oxford Biomaterials to develop and exploit the properties of natural silks for medical applications.

Led by CEO, Dr Nick Skaer, who has been responsible for overseeing development of the Orthox technology to date in his role as CEO of Oxford Biomaterials, Orthox has recruited a proven management team which combines medical device industry experience, surgical excellence and academic prowess.