Oxford Performance Materials and Yale University Form Product Development Joint Research Program

Oxford Performance Materials Inc., a materials and additive manufacturing (3-D printing) company in South Windsor, Conn., has kicked off what company officials are calling an “extensive” joint research program with Yale University to develop innovative and cost-effective 3-D-printed biomedical technologies and applications.

This initiative, according to company officials, will add clinical expertise to Oxford’s platform for device development, made up of its proprietary OXPEKK formulation of the high-performance polymer polyether-ketone-ketone (PEKK), the company’s additive manufacturing process, and its regulatory framework.

The joint research program will consist of 10 distinct projects featuring seven Yale faculty members, exploring a range of biomedical applications for 3-D printing and PEKK. Projects include the development of new PEKK-based cranial and facial devices that support direct tissue attachment and a 3-D printed PEKK prosthesis for rib replacement.

Projects also include 3-D printed PEKK devices that deliver therapeutics for improved vertebral fusion as well as devices that deliver antibiotics to combat the pressing burden of implant-associated infections.

“We are excited to announce this collaboration with Yale’s team of biomedical engineering and clinical experts,” said Adam Hacking, Ph.D., chief scientific officer, Oxford Performance Materials. “Our medical device development platform will support improving patient care. Together, we foresee the development and delivery of new medical technologies and applications in ways that were previously not possible. OPM has made significant progress with our PEKK-based platform, and we are continuing to advance this technology to improve patient outcomes with our partners at Yale.”

The partnership even has garnered the attention of state government.

“This joint research program between Yale University and Oxford Performance Materials is a prime example of the types of collaborations that we are working to develop here in Connecticut,” Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said in prepared remarks. “Our state has long been an incubator for scientific, technological and medical innovation, and this program has the potential to yield significant benefits to society through 3-D printing, advanced materials science and strategic partnership between private industry and academia.”

In 2013, the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development supported the expansion of OPM’s South Windsor manufacturing facility with a $3.2 million loan for new machinery and equipment, as well as building upgrades.

“PEKK is biocompatible, radiolucent, strong and durable. 3-D printing enables the facile fabrication of complex geometries. In combination, these technologies present new and previously unavailable opportunities to develop and deliver customized, patient-specific therapies that are also economically viable,” said Prof. Mark Saltzman, Ph.D., Yale’s Goizueta Foundation Professor of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering and Chair of Biomedical Engineering. “We are looking forward to working with Dr. Hacking and his team at OPM on these joint research initiatives that are designed to improve how personalized medicine is developed and delivered to patients.”

In February 2013, Oxford became the only company to receive U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance to manufacture 3-D-printed polymeric implants for its PEKK cranial devices. The company received a second FDA clearance for its patient-specific facial implants in July.

Besides biomedical applications, Oxford also has an aerospace and industrial division for parts in a range of aircraft applications in commercial, defense and space.