Nexus CMF to Work With Mayo Clinic on Jaw Joint Prosthesis

Salt Lake City, Utah-based Nexus CMF has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., to develop new technology for a partial temporomandibular joint prosthesis. The announcement came during the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons annual meeting in Orlando, Fla.

The temporomandibular joint is the hinge joint that connects the lower jaw—mandible—to the temporal bone of the skull, which is directly in front of the ear on each side of the head. The joints are flexible, allowing the jaw to move smoothly up and down and side to side. Muscles attached to and surrounding the jaw joint control the position and movement of the jaw.

Temporomandibular disorders occur due to problems with the jaw, jaw joint and surrounding facial muscles that control chewing and moving the jaw. Injury to the jaw, temporomandibular joint or muscles of the head and neck—such as from a heavy blow or whiplash—also can cause painful disorders.

Nexus CMF is a cranio-maxillofacial (CMF) medical device manufacturer specializing in treatments for temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders, and an expanding line of devices for orthognathic procedures and other CMF applications. Nexus CMF officials claim the company produces the only partial TMJ prosthesis approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and is the only company in the United States to manufacture both stock and patient-specific TMJ prostheses.

The patented approach Nexus CMF will implement is for a patient-specific implant that sits flat on the bone to create more freedom of movement for the patient’s jaw joint. This design entails surgical reshaping of the bone and is for patients with osteoarthritis where the interpositional disc is displaced or perforated resulting in bone-on-bone contact, according to Andrew Olson, director of sales and marketing at Nexus CMF.

The vast majority of surgical patients are women, although men can suffer from temporomandibular disorders as well, Olson said.

The technology was developed by Eugene Keller, M.D., oral and maxillofacial surgery at Mayo Clinic and professor of surgery, Mayo Medical School; Kai-Nan An, Ph.D., biomechanics and engineering at Mayo Clinic; and Evre Baltalı, DD.S., Ph.D., oral and maxillofacial surgery, now in private practice with Acibadem Hospital Eskisehir in Turkey.

Nexus CMF will develop this hemiarthroplasty surgical approach—which has undergone a 60-patient study at Mayo prior to its licensing—using its Patient-Specific TMJ Fossa-Eminence Prosthesis System.

“It has been a great experience collaborating with Dr. Keller and Dr. Baltalı on this new technology as they and their colleagues at Mayo Clinic are truly leaders in their medical specialties,” said Olson. “We are thrilled to be able to offer a wide variety of viable prosthesis options that cater to different patient needs and surgical philosophies.”

Mayo Clinic and Drs. E. Keller, Kai-Nan An and E. Baltali have a financial interest in the technology. Revenue Mayo receives is used to support its mission of patient care, education and research.