InscoBi and Cellumed Expand Clinical Trials of Customized 'Artificial Joint Surgical Instruments' Using 3D Printing

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hyowon] Amid the recent increase in elderly population due to an aging society, leading to a rise in artificial joint surgeries, InscoBi's subsidiary Cellumed is securing market competitiveness by expanding clinical trials of patient-specific instrumentation (PSI) for artificial joint surgery.

On the 29th, InscoBi announced that its affiliate, Cellumed, a global specialist in tissue regeneration and replacement, is accelerating its artificial knee joint business by expanding clinical trials of its independently developed 3D-printed patient-specific instrumentation (PSI) for artificial joint surgery.

The artificial knee joint market is the largest single item market among orthopedic medical devices. A few major companies such as Stryker, Biomat, and Zimmer dominate 80% of the global market, and the domestic market also has a very low localization rate. Cellumed is intensifying efforts in the artificial knee joint business with the goal of becoming the number one market share holder domestically.

Patient-specific artificial joint surgery using 3D printing is already commercialized technology in the United States and Europe, but in Korea, it is not recognized under medical insurance, causing other companies to hesitate in its use. Cellumed is proactively applying this technology and plans to expand medical insurance coverage soon by obtaining recognition as a new medical technology or innovative medical technology, so that many patients can benefit.

Last year, Cellumed conducted surgeries using PSI at four universities and one specialized hospital, and plans to increase usage mainly in university hospitals and tertiary general hospitals. Through continuous expansion of clinical surgeries, the data will be utilized in the future for obtaining US FDA and CE certifications.

Cellumed’s 3D-printed patient-specific instrumentation (PSI) reconstructs each patient’s knee with degenerative arthritis in 3D using computer technology. This allows the application of surgery with minimal bone resection and optimal implant positioning through biomechanical analysis.

In particular, since the surgery is performed by understanding the unique characteristics of each patient’s knee joint, it minimizes bleeding and speeds recovery through minimal bone and skin incisions, improves surgical accuracy using 3D customized surgical instruments, and shortens surgery time while minimizing complications and side effects. This provides stable surgery even for patients with end-stage degenerative arthritis, drawing attention.

A company official explained, “Due to the recent increase in the elderly population and westernized lifestyle habits, the number of patients requiring total knee arthroplasty is rising. Traditional surgical methods aim to restore overall knee joint balance without considering individual bone loss or deformities, causing persistent pain and other side effects. Therefore, Cellumed’s artificial joint surgical instruments are expected to be suitable alternatives.”

He added, “Since PSI has been recognized for its effectiveness by doctors and patent applications have been filed with advice from some medical professionals, we will continue to expand clinical surgery cases using PSI.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.