Vallum Applauded by Frost & Sullivan for its Biocompatible Spinal Fusion Device, PEEKplus®
Vallum's ANAB-treated PEEKplus® technology enhances the bioactivity of PEEK interbody spinal fusion devices by creating a nanotextured PEEK surface
SANTA CLARA, California, Dec. 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Based on its recent analysis of the North America spinal fusion device performance enhancers market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes Vallum Corp. with the 2018 North America New Product Innovation Award for its interbody spinal fusion device, PEEKplus®. This device plugs the biocompatibility and osseointegration gaps in the current generation of PEEK by leveraging high-performance nanotechnology to enhance bioactivity and catalyze bone formation. Vallum treats PEEKplus with its patented and proprietary Accelerated Neutral Atom Beam (ANAB) technology to augment bone fusion factors.
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"Vallum's focus on the nano-scale surface modification of PEEK interbody fusion devices to improve their osseointegrating capability in spinal fusion resulted in developing PEEKplus. This groundbreaking innovation is the first and only FDA-cleared nanotextured surface on a PEEK interbody device," said Sowmya Rajagopalan, Global Program Director at Frost & Sullivan. "To enable bioactivity and initiate the osseointegration process, the surface of the interbody device must be hydrophilic; however, unaltered PEEK is hydrophobic by nature. Vallum addressed this issue by altering the PEEK material at the nano-scale to make it hydrophilic without any coating or chemicals or creating porosity."
Titanium-coated and porous PEEK materials have surface textures measuring 300,000 nanometers; however, superior osseointegration requires nanotexturing that is less than 100 nanometers. Vallum's ANAB processor achieves this by superimposing nano-scale concavities directly onto the surface of the PEEK device to create 20 to 50-nanometer concavities. Therefore, compared to titanium coatings and surface porosity, PEEKplus offers a superior solution.
Significantly, Vallum's innovative approach of nanotexturing technology can be applied to any fully manufactured PEEK interbody device without altering its design or size or affecting its mechanical or chemical properties. In addition, the ANAB process is cost effective to apply because it does not require additional materials and in minutes can convert any preexisting PEEK interbody fusion device into a PEEKplus device. Furthermore, the process does not disrupt the existing manufacturing process; it simply adds an extra step, wherein a beam delivers argon atoms with tremendous kinetic energy onto the surface of the PEEK device to create a unique, dynamic nano-scale solution.
"As the ANAB process was originally developed for the semiconductor industry, where no particles can be generated, the ANAB processor operates at standards higher than those required in medical device manufacturing," noted Rajagopalan. "Overall, Vallum's ability to produce a hydrophilic PEEK interbody device by nanotexturing its surface topography is a first of its kind and has the potential to set a new standard in interbody implant performance."
Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that develops an innovative element in a product by leveraging leading-edge technologies. The award recognizes the product's value-added features/benefits and the increased return on investment (ROI) it provides to customers, which, in turn, raises customer acquisition and overall market penetration potential.
Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.
About Vallum Corporation
Vallum is a medical device company headquartered in Nashua, New Hampshire. It has developed advanced technology and processing protocols for nano-scale surface engineering of implantable medical devices. The company is currently focused on nano-scale surface modification of PEEK interbody fusion devices to improve their performance in spinal fusion.
The company's management believes its advanced technology and processing protocols can ultimately be developed to improve other implantable orthopedic devices for treating disorders throughout the body. Accelerated Neutral Atom Beam (ANAB) technology and its medical applications for nano-scale surface modification, including PEEKplus®, are covered by multiple issued patents and trade secrets.
Vallum's mission is to develop, produce and deliver innovative nano-scale surface technologies to affordably improve implantable medical devices and thereby improve patient outcomes and quality of life. More information can be found at www.vallumcorp.com.
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