Good Day,Jerry27-ga,
Searching on www.google.com with terms "hydroxyapatite" +market, I
received a few hits which included the answer to your question plus an
exciting article about improvements in the conversion of coral to pure
hydroxyapatite.
Specifically, it states:
a market currently estimated at US $ 400M annually worldwide with
annual growth estimated at 4-5%.
That's the current market, but personally I think the growth figures
are very conservative for one major reason: The Baby Boom generation
is getting old, and we fragile Boomers will probably be desperate in
our need for this product as our health problems increase.
New Bone Graft Material
A new technique has been developed at UTS for the conversion of coral
to pure hydroxyapatite for use with a range of artifical implants,
including ocular, orthopaedic and maxillofacial implants.
Partially converted hydroxyapatite or CORALLINE HAp is currently the
most widely used material for medical implants because its porous
characteristics allow rapid bone integration with host tissues. Due to
the incomplete conversion process, however, CORALLINE HAP has very
high dissolution rates (resulting in retained coral or CaCO3) and the
structure possesses micropores within the interpore trabeculae. These
features of CORALLINE HAp reduce durability and strength respectively
and have been identified in a number of studies as major shortcomings
with respect to the longevity and application of implant technology.
To overcome these limitations, a new coral conversion technique has
been developed at UTS which enables the complete conversion of coral
to pure HAp. UTS has also been able to coat pure HAp onto any shape
with a very thin layer of Sol-Gel derived HAp (unique to UTS) to cover
the micropores within the material, whilst maintaining the useful
large pores. In preliminary studies at UTS, mechanical properties of
the material were improved by 20% due to this unique double treatment.
This results in enhanced durability and strength in the body through
vastly reduced dissolution rates and elimination of intratrabecular
micropores.
The UTS team anticipates that its product will represent a significant
advance on currently available bone graft materials and will enable
access to a market currently estimated at US $ 400M annually worldwide
with annual growth estimated at 4-5%.
http://www.uts.edu.au/research/techdev/techabstracts.html#Hydroxyapatite
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If that innovation isn't encouraging enough, then look out for
nanotechnology which is already offering amazing improvements(and
patents) in this area:
Bones are made of hydroxyapatite, a form of hydrated calcium
phosphate. It's easy to whip up a batch in the lab, but man-made
hydroxyapatite doesn't have the strength of the naturally occurring
variety, because in nature the atomic structure is more uniformly
aligned.
"Angstrom has created NanOss, a nanocrystal version of hydroxyapatite.
The nanocrystals are used to make implants and the screws used to
secure them. Because of their size (approximately 100 nanometers),
bone cells can not only latch onto the nanocrystals in the implant,
they can absorb them and break them down into real bone. As the bone
heals around the implant, it can eventually become a seamless part of
the bone itself.
Given the commercial potential, it's not surprising that patent
applications followed close behind the academic research. Quantum Dot
secured two patents this past May: one for the nanocrystals
themselves, the other for the technology to produce them. Nanospectra
expects to have 25 patents or patents pending by the end of this year.
"
Bones are made of hydroxyapatite, a form of hydrated calcium
phosphate. It's easy to whip up a batch in the lab, but man-made
hydroxyapatite doesn't have the strength of the naturally occurring
variety, because in nature the atomic structure is more uniformly
aligned.
http://www.smalltimes.com/document_display.cfm?document_id=1753
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Another article regarding this product might be of interest to you:
"Orquest Inc has received a CE marking for a mineralised collagen bone
substitute for bone grafts and spinal fusion. It seems likely that
there will soon be many alternatives for defect filling. Several
companies have developed products based on different approached to the
task; some are combinations of hydroxyapatite and mouldable polymeric
material; others are based on sterilised sea-coral or bovine bone
material. Interpore International of Irvine, California USA markets
Pro Osteon as a porous support for bone growth into defects. The
absorbable version is available in the EU and a product containing
growth factors is in development."
Brad-ga |
