Each year, over 10 million dental implants are placed, but 5 to 10% of patients experience complications. Hospital-acquired infections account for 5% of hospitalized patients; approximately four million people in the EU suffer from nosocomial infections each year. What is less well known is that one in two infections or inflammations is caused by the implant.
Therefore, SPARTHA Medical is developing nano/micrometric coatings to apply to the implant. These coatings prevent infections and reduce inflammation, without affecting how the medical device works.
The story began in 2013, when the “BioMaterials / BioEngineering” laboratory at the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) UMR1121 discovered the antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties of the coatings on which they were working.
In 2019, after a few years of developing the technology with the support of SATT Conectus, and two patented inventions (Panbiora and Immodgel), Dr Nihal Engin Vrana, Dr Philippe Lavalle, and Dr Angela Mutschler created SPARTHA Medical within the SEMIA start-up incubator.
Today, in France, the United States, and Germany, SPARTHA Medical offers customized coatings for implant manufacturers, with proven effectiveness against a wide range of bacteria (gram+/gram-). Based on the supramolecular assembly of natural polymers and their synthesized derivatives (polypeptides and polysaccharides), these coatings can be applied to any type of surface or geometry.
SPARTHA IS EXPANDING ITS RANGE
SPARTHA Medical plans to launch a “medical coating kit” in 2023, designed for hospital use. It will be used on implants and wounds, in line with patient immune profiles
“We are also developing a consumer antiviral product in the form of a spray with biocompatible molecules to apply to the skin. This product will meet the 2024 Biocidal Regulations,” adds Nihal Engin Vrana, CEO of the start-up.
SPARTHA Medical received the French Tech Emergence Grant from BPI France for its work on the development of these biocompatible antiviral sprays and is expanding into new markets in Europe, the United States, and Japan.
On December 8, 2021, the startup announced that it has raised €1,4 million.