Mr Matthew Gardiner

This award has turned an idea for non-surgical joint distraction to treat hand arthritis into a reality. This has led me on a journey of discovery in medical device innovation. To date the award has led to two further grants from the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons and the Versus Arthritis Med Tech fund, totalling £120K.

 

This has allowed the new device to progress from idea, through prototyping to a first in human study. Patients have been very receptive to the device, as it might provide an alternative to surgery. Professionally the project has led to me gaining a whole range of new skills and understanding around device innovation, intellectual property protection and regulatory approval.

 

To date there have been no papers or presentations owing to the patent pending.