Bionx Implants is among the global forerunners of surgical products that dissolve in the human body. The history of Bionx began in the 1970s when a young professor, Pertti Törmälä, started to research bioabsorbable materials at TUT. A company named Bioscience Oy was established in 1984 in order to commercialise the research results. In 1997, the company looked further afield, setting its sights on the United States in search of the capital required for product development.
“The company has ten principle product families. To date, the most successful product is an arrow used to repair tears to the meniscus,” says Vice President, Manufacturing, Pertti Viitanen, who is the Managing Director of the Finnish operations of the company.
The company’s oldest products include bioabsorbable screws, pins, nails and arrows used in treating bone fractures and damaged cartilage. Among the latest products are plates, screws and pins for craniofacial surgery, and products under development include implants that contain substances that enhance tissue healing or regeneration.
In the face of tightening international competition, Bionx’s advantage lies in its own expertise. Bioabsorbable materials and surgical products developed from them are researched at TUT’s Institute of Biomaterials. A research group comprising researchers from the institute and several other universities, headed by Academy Professor Pertti Törmälä, has been appointed as a Centre of Excellence in Research by the Academy of Finland.