In the United Kingdom, Invibio Biomaterial Solutions and CarboFix Orthopedics have teamed up with James Ellington, a UK Olympic sprinter to work on innovative biomaterials and devices for people who have had trauma fractures. Ellington had a head-on collision on his motorcycle earlier this year that left him with smashed legs and pelvis, potentially affecting his Olympic future. After his accident, he could have had the usual titanium nail to fix one of his leg fractures, but he chose to go with Invibio and CarboFix’s carbon fiber polymer composite version that is lighter and potentially helps the injury heal faster.
Ellington told Net Composites, “The rod is made from a new composite polymer. It’s strong, in a way that’s similar to metal implants, but not as stiff, which means it has the capability to stress the bone more and provide some micro-motion, so it works more like natural bone. The idea is that this will help support a quicker recovery – which is what convinced me this was the right path for me.”