cultivate(MD) Capital Funds Announces HAPPE Spine's Additional Patents for Hydroxyapatite Porous Polyetheretherketone Devices

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Oct 05, 2022, 08:50 ET

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Oct. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- cultivate(MD) Capital Funds LP, funds that are focused on investments into early-stage healthcare companies with innovative technologies, announces today that one of their portfolio companies, Grand Rapids, MI based HAPPE Spine was granted two more issued patents in a growing portfolio establishing HAPPE as the leader of next generation orthopaedic and spinal implants enabled by the HAPPE^TM (HydroxyApatite Porous PolyEtheretherketone) platform. The HAPPE material platform offers interconnected, cancellous porosity and bioactive surfaces with exposed hydroxyapatite to enable robust bone in-growth and on-growth confirmed in preclinical testing.

HAPPE Spine. Cancellous porosity + Bio-active surfaces = Bone ingrowth

Dr. Ryan K. Roeder, Founder and CTO, said, "We are pleased the USPTO has granted utility patents for our implant design and manufacturing process that build upon previously issued and pending utility patents for our material composition. Together, these patents establish a strong intellectual property position for HAPPE in the emerging market for porous HA PEEK devices."

U.S. Patent Number 11,179,243 protects implantable devices such as interbody spinal fusion cages that are constructed with (1) a thermoplastic polymer such as polyetheretherketone, (2) at least one region with interconnected porosity, and (3) bioactive particles such as hydroxyapatite integrated in the polymer and exposed on pore surfaces to encourage bone ingrowth.

U.S. Patent Number 11,426,904 protects a process for forming implants from thermoplastic polymers with regions of differing porosity. Unlike additive manufacturing of PEEK implants, the process enables molding of monolithic implants from powder-based raw materials such that there are no seams, joints or bonds in the implant, but rather a continuous polymer matrix between regions of relatively porous and dense material.

About HAPPE Spine:

HAPPE Spine LLC is a medical device development company that designs and commercializes innovative spinal implants utilizing the patented HydroxyApatite Porous PolyEtheretherketone (HAPPE^TM) material platform. HAPPE transforms polyetheretherketone from a hydrophobic, bioinert, and non-integrating material into a hydrophilic, bioactive, and osteointegrating material, confirmed by robust bone in-growth and on-growth in preclinical testing. The HAPPE INTEGRATE^TM interbody fusion system is the first interbody fusion cage to offer bone-like cancellous porosity with bioactive surfaces through the entire implant height to promote endplate-to-endplate osteointegration. INTEGRATE is designed to promote both load bearing and healing, as well as superior post-operative imaging. The HAPPE INTEGRATE interbody fusion system thus offers allograft-like qualities in a synthetic implant that can improve clinical outcomes in interbody spinal fusion by overcoming the problems of pseudoarthrosis, subsidence and imaging artifacts that limit current PEEK and titanium implants.

Learn more about HAPPE Spine and HAPPE^™ material platform at happeortho.com.

About cultivate(MD) Capital Funds: As a medical device venture capital fund, cultivate(MD) is dedicated to bringing emerging health care innovations to market, with a special focus on medical device and orthopedic technologies. cultivate(MD) is focused on investing in early stage healthcare companies with innovative technologies that have demonstrated evidence of effectiveness. For more information, visit: https://genesisinnovationgroup.com/

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in any offering of securities. There will not be any sale of any securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offering, sale or solicitation would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

Forwarding-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release constitute forward-looking statements. When used in this press release, the words "will," "anticipate," and similar expressions or the negatives thereof are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements, including the intended actions and performance objectives of the fund, its general partner, cultivate(MD), or any cultivate(MD) portfolio company referenced herein, involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other important factors that could cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the general partner, or any cultivate(MD) fund or portfolio company to differ materially from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. No representation or warranty is made as to future performance or such forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date hereof. The fund, its general partner, and cultivate(MD) expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to disseminate any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement contained herein to reflect any change in its expectation with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

SOURCE cultivate(MD)