Company Status

Tendon injuries can be severely disabling to patients, often requiring an operation with long rehabilitation times and high healthcare costs.

The most common types of tendon injuries that require surgical repair are:
– Flexor (hand): ~18,000 operations/year in UK
– Achilles (foot): ~ 62,000 operations/year in UK
– Rotator cuff (shoulder): ~9,000 operations/year in UK
Number of operations per 100,000 people are similar abroad.

Up to 1 in 4 of tendon operations do not achieve satisfactory results due to the formation of scar tissue that works less well than the original tendon. Between 1 in 20 and 1 in 5 of repaired tendons (dependent on which tendon was broken) can break again requiring further operations.

ReTendon have developed a novel tendon repair medical device, which builds a bridge between the ends of sown-together tendons. Our device enables tendons to re-build more naturally, with a potential for tendons to heal faster and more strongly, it also reduces tendons from breaking after operation , reducing re-operation costs and the length of rehabilitation and time off work for patients.

Our initial research demonstrates that our device is safe and is likely to improve tendon repair. We have also established manufacturing processes and demonstrated the ability to manufacture a stable and sterile product.

This patent-protected work (patents 2008, 2019) draws on breakthrough UK research at the University of Manchester and will be further developed and commercialised by ReTendon.