TSB grant helps Accentus advance technology to market

A Technology Strategy Board grant worth £330,000 has allowed Accentus Medical, a supplier of advanced coatings and surface treatments to the medical device industry, to successfully complete the installation and initial demonstration of a prototype manufacturing plant for its Agluna anti-infective technology.

The award was made in December 2009 under the TSB’s High Value Manufacturing call.

Accentus Medical worked in collaboration with Stanmore Implants Worldwide, an existing licensee and customer, and academic partner University College London. Following the successful development and clinical proof of concept of Agluna, the principal objective of the grant project was to work on commercial scale manufacture of the product.

Following a successful prototype demonstration project undertaken during 2010, and the signing of a licence and service agreement with Zimmer Holdings, Accentus is now ready to expand its manufacturing operations.

Philip Agg, Chief Executive of Accentus Medical, said, “The Technology Strategy Board grant has been crucial in demonstrating our ability to manufacture the Agluna technology on a commercial scale. We now look forward to collaborating with both Stanmore and Zimmer in securing regulatory approval for products treated with the Agluna technology in both the EU and US. The ability to demonstrate to commercial partners that we are able to meet the demand for commercial manufacturing represents a significant development for Accentus, enabling the company to compete on a global scale in the medical technology sector.”

Martin Pickford, Senior Vice-President of Business Development for Accentus Medical, said, “This grant has enabled the company to successfully demonstrate commercial scale production capability. With a further pipeline of medical device applications in development, the establishment of a manufacturing capability means that Accentus will be in a strong position to respond to future demand as we look to diversify the Agluna technology into new sectors.”

Robin Wilson, Lead Technologist for High Value Manufacturing at Technology Strategy Board, said, “We are very pleased to see Accentus Medical benefiting from our financial support in developing a commercial scale manufacturing capability for the innovative Agluna technology.”