Cambridge, UK , November 08, 2006.

NovaThera and Pera announce the success of their proposal in the DTI Innovation competition to lead a consortium to develop new bioactive glass nanofiber based textiles (“Nanoglass”) for medical applications.

Approximately 200,000 skull and face surgeries are performed in the EEC each year. Up to 10% of these require further operations because of failed procedures or infection. Where implants are used to repair bone, common problems after surgery are infection, instability and movement of the repaired surface. Many operations use bone grafts taken from the same patient but these suffer from limited supply of bone, infection and difficulties in shaping the donor bone to the repair site.

A new approach is needed to solve these problems. The Nanoglass program will develop a novel textile material that will be made into a woven resorbable scaffold with the capability of delivering drugs, growth factors and cell therapies.

”This will reduce implant failure and corrective surgery by up to 50% and will eliminate the need to harvest bone for grafting,” said CEO of NovaThera Gareth Roberts.

Other benefits are savings in medical costs of up to £500 million each year with significant improvements in the cosmetic and medical outcome. Nanoglass textile will also be of value in other applications such as supporting repair and regeneration of other tissue types and in wound management.

The partners in the consortium are leaders in their respective fields in the UK, and have capabilities ranging from basic research, technology transfer and product development through to the sales and marketing of clinical products.

The partners include Corinthian Surgical Ltd, a producer of bone cements for maxillofacial/orthopaedic surgery; Hunt Developments UK Ltd, a specialist in medical device packaging and sterilisation; Culzean Medical Devices Ltd, a manufacturer of a diversity of implantable textile materials;.The British Healthcare Trades Association, representing a membership of 350 companies in the healthcare industry; The University of Manchester, a leading UK expert in bioactive glasses for tissue engineering applications; and, DePuy (a Johnson and Johnson company) who produce bone grafting and other skeletal products, and have the capabilities to validate the product and provide a clear route to market.

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NOTES FOR EDITORS

Background on NovaThera Ltd.
NovaThera Ltd is an Imperial College spin out company. NovaThera specialises in pioneering applications of biomaterials and stem cell biology for regenerative medicine to provide innovative therapeutic solutions (wound management, bone repair, lung repair).
For more information about NovaThera, please visit http://www.novathera.com.

Background on Pera.
Pera is a leading European innovation support organisation, at the heart of facilitating the strategic change needed for industry to compete in a globalised economy. Pera’s success has been demonstrated for 60 years. Through first-class research and development facilities, consultancy and training operations, and one of Europe’s most comprehensive business intelligence centres, we develop groundbreaking technological solutions and world-class business strategies for clients. For more information about Pera, please visit http://www.pera.com.

Background on other partners.
Corinthian Surgical Ltd http://www.corinthiansurgical.com
Hunt Developments UK Ltd http://www.huntdevelopments.co.uk/medical/index.html
Culzean Medical Devices Ltd http://www.culzean-medical.com
British Healthcare Trades Association http://www.bhta.net/index.html
The University of Manchester http://www.materials.manchester.ac.uk/content2/school/staff/pages/JulieGough.htm
DePuy http://www.depuy.com

Contacts:

NovaThera Gareth Roberts g.roberts@novathera.com	Pera Nigel Lambert nigel.lambert@pera.com

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