Accentus Medical has its foundations in the research laboratories of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), located at the Harwell Campus, south of Oxford. The leading UK Medtech innovation hub remains the home of Accentus Medical, together with the historically renowned Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and the internationally recognised Diamond Synchrotron.
Pioneering coating techniques for orthopaedic implants
The UKAEA first became involved in the field of orthopaedics in the 1970s when many orthopaedic manufacturers were searching for processes to improve the strength, wear-resistance and biocompatibility of the metallic alloys used in their implants. As part of the research into nuclear reactor design, many coating techniques such as thermal plasma spraying, ion implantation, and titanium nitride surface enhancement were discovered and developed at Harwell and then adopted by numerous orthopaedic companies. For example, plasma spray metallic and hydroxyapatite coatings are now used globally in cementless total joint prostheses.
Considerable expertise in other areas relevant to orthopaedic science was also available at Harwell. This included failure mode analysis, fatigue testing of metallic artefacts and corrosion studies. As a result the Harwell site rapidly became the leading UK centre for the regulatory testing of joint replacement products and was involved in the initial drafting of numerous British and ISO standards covering the testing of orthopaedic devices and the specification of medical grade alloys.
Leading supplier of Acusure® and Agluna® coating technologies
Today, Accentus Medical is an established world-leading independent supplier to the global orthopaedic industry of its Acusure® range of inert/reducing gas plasma spray coatings, and pioneering Agluna® and Acusure Ag® silver ion based antimicrobial surface technologies. The company also continues to conduct regulatory testing for major orthopaedic implant manufacturers.
Innovative research and development of orthopaedic implants and other medical devices
Accentus Medical has its own well established research and development group, involved in the development of intellectual property in the medical device area. With a track record in development and commercialisation of its proprietary coating technologies, the company continues to undertake innovative coating developments targeted towards continuing improvement in patient outcomes in its target clinical applications.