The future of knee care: how ATRO Medical brings their meniscus prosthesis to the patient

Many patients experience persistent knee pain after meniscus surgery. ATRO Medical introduces its Artimis®: an artificial meniscus that relieves pain and helps patients return to their daily activities. Chief Implementation Officer Maarten van der Zanden explains how ATRO Medical develops this technology, the role of partners and what the future holds.

ATRO Medical was founded in 2017 with the mission of developing a synthetic solution for countless patients suffering from a damaged meniscus, one of the most common knee problems. “During my graduation in 2006, I happened to be present at a brainstorming session about this product”, says Maarten. “The founder and inventor of Artimis®, Tony van Tienen, has been involved from the start. He also discovered that creating a new shock absorber in the knee is a very precise job. The knee is a millstone that grinds everything that doesn’t belong there.” The first steps were taken, and, in collaboration with DSM, a suitable material was found for the development of the first version of the meniscus prosthesis. After ten years of research at the Radboudumc, ATRO Medical was founded.

Many innovations never reach the patient. And that’s a real shame if you ask Maarten. “Ultimately, we do it to help the patient, so you have to make sure that your innovation is commercially viable. And acknowledge that it takes large investments in time and money. All this with one end goal: ensuring that the innovation reaches the patient.”

Development and operation

“We wanted to create something that mimics the natural meniscus as closely as possible but is also robust enough to withstand the pressure in the knee”, Maarten explains. “It had to be a complete meniscus replacement. The result is an innovative combination of plastics (PCU) that is both strong and flexible, with a surgical technique that resembles existing methods.”

The Artimis® distinguishes itself by being attached to the natural meniscus attachment points in the knee, which provide stability and functionality. “We wanted the surgery to be simple for surgeons but with a big impact for the patient”, Maarten explains. The implant can be placed in approximately 45 minutes. And if it does wear out, it can easily be replaced after 5 to 10 years.   

Clinical research

A lot of research is needed for a viable innovation. That is why St. Maartenskliniek Nijmegen, Haaglanden MC Den Haag and MUMC+ Maastricht are currently studying the effectiveness of the prosthesis. But prior to this study, a lot of research had already been conducted at Radboud University Medical Center. In a first study in 2019, in four out of five patients the implant had to be removed. However, in the last patient the concept proved to work. “That patient scored very well at the end of the study, which showed us that it was indeed possible to relief pain with a meniscus replacement”, says Maarten.

Based on this, ATRO Medical has developed an improved version of their implant. This one performs much better. A study is currently underway with patients in which the artificial meniscus shows excellent results. Especially in the area of pain relief. Critical data, which is essential to prove the effectiveness of the Artimis® meniscus prosthesis and the final market approvals.

Follow-up research

ATRO Medical is now on the eve of two new clinical studies. The first focuses on the inner meniscus, where they want to further demonstrate the effectiveness and durability of Artimis® with more patients. “The key here is that we find enough patients who want to test our innovation. This also allows us to demonstrate statistically that what we do really works”, says Maarten. In addition, ATRO is starting a study for the outer meniscus in close collaboration with Radboudumc, supported by a European subsidy. This part of the knee is more challenging because of the different strains. “But we apply the same successful techniques here, only the shape of the prosthesis is different”, Maarten emphasises.

Together we can go even further

ATRO Medical is actively looking for new investors and research participants for these new studies. Fortunately, they are supported in this search by various parties. “Briskr helped us enormously, especially in the initial phase”, says Maarten. “They organise valuable meetings about, for example, valuation and corporate finances. Crucial topics for a company that wants to develop medical innovations. These meetings not only gave us knowledge but also a broader network. Both are important to be successful.”

In addition to the guidance provided by Briskr, investors such as OostNL and the De Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij (BOM) were also invaluable. “OostNL and BOM were involved at an early stage and are still important in the total financing.” These regional funds ensure that ATRO can continue to grow, but their contribution had to be supplemented with private capital.

This is where the Radboud Investment Day came in handy, an annual event where ATRO met a Business Angel last year who decided to invest in them. “For us, it’s crucial to constantly find new investors to finance studies particularly in Europe and soon in the US”, Maarten emphasises. “Such events not only generate capital, but also visibility and new opportunities. We look forward to days like this. It’s nice to have a home game every now and then. It’s wonderful to see the cross-pollination: all these wonderful developments in Nijmegen that also help each other.”

A bright future

With new studies on the horizon, ATRO Medical is looking to the future with confidence. One of the most futuristic developments is the collaboration with the Orthopaedic Research Lab on an AI-generated, personalised meniscus, which is fully tailored to the knee of the individual patient. “We recently received a grant to develop a personal 3D-printed meniscus based on MRI scans”, Maarten tells us enthusiastically. Such an innovation could be the next step in the evolution of implants, preserving each patient’s knee joint. “But first we bring this design to patients with persistent complaints after removal of the meniscus. And step by step, we’re getting closer to that goal!”