Founders Facts – BioPoly and Cartilage

This is a message from BioPoly’s President and Founder, Dr. Herb Schwartz:

BioPoly is a novel biomaterial that behaves like synthetic cartilage; so, let’s talk about the similarities between BioPoly and cartilage:

• Both are robust materials that carry joint loads and allow pain free motion.
• Both have hyaluronic acid in their structures and use that molecule to assist with lubrication by holding onto synovial fluid during articulation of the joint.
• Both have extremely low frictional forces (i.e. coefficient of friction) when articulating with cartilage on the opposite side of the joint.
• Both can be considered composite materials.
• Both are intended to articulate with cartilage.
• Both are avascular (void of blood vessels) and aneural (void of nerves).
• Both thrive in a diarthrodial joint environment.

With all these similarities, it is not surprising that the BioPoly team has already developed implants that replace cartilage in the knee condyles, trochlear groove/facets, patella, elbow (radial head), shoulder, and great/lesser toes with many more applications coming. More than 1500 patients have received BioPoly implants. The longest-term patient received a BioPoly knee implant in 2012 and that patient is still pain free.