The Startup Studio Presents a Composite Filament Company

“Medfiber” will develop composite filaments, which are thread-like materials that can serve as the basis for surgical mesh and bone implants. The most common implants used in orthopaedics and traumatology are usually made of titanium. However, they are prone to corrosion, have low chemical activity, cause erosion of bone tissue, and require regular replacements.

Daria Gerasimova, General Director of “Medfiber”, a Master's student of the IKBFU Higher School of Living Systems, engineer at the SmartTextiles Laboratory of Polymer and Composite Materials
We are faced with the challenge of creating a Russian-made product that significantly outperforms its competitors in terms of quality. As part of the startup, we will develop a composite filament with enhanced mechanical properties to ensure that the implant can withstand the main load. In addition, three-dimensional structures based on the developed filament will have a longer service life compared to titanium implants. This, in turn, will make it possible to avoid secondary surgeries and increase patient comfort.

Daria Gerasimova, General Director of “Medfiber”, a Master's student of the IKBFU Higher School of Living Systems, engineer at the SmartTextiles Laboratory of Polymer and Composite Materials

We are faced with the challenge of creating a Russian-made product that significantly outperforms its competitors in terms of quality. As part of the startup, we will develop a composite filament with enhanced mechanical properties to ensure that the implant can withstand the main load. In addition, three-dimensional structures based on the developed filament will have a longer service life compared to titanium implants. This, in turn, will make it possible to avoid secondary surgeries and increase patient comfort.

The production of new generation filaments involves the use of semi-crystalline polymer with high-temperature stability. The manufacturing will be based at the SmartTextiles Laboratory of Polymer and Composite Materials at IKBFU.

We plan to only utilise domestic raw materials. The manufacturing is mainly based on the method of extruding molten polymer through an opening of a certain diameter.

According to Elena Kabakova, Deputy Director of the IKBFU Startup Studio, the medical implant market is rapidly growing.

Implantable medical devices are in high demand in such knowledge-intensive sectors such as the traumatology and orthopaedics. The average annual growth rate in the market is almost 7%, making it one of the most rapidly developing markets, even taking into account all the difficulties with the registration of new types of medical devices. The issue of import substitution is now more acute than ever. Realising the urgency of the issue and the team's expertise, we decided to invest in the company.

Implantable medical devices are in high demand in such knowledge-intensive sectors such as the traumatology and orthopaedics. The average annual growth rate in the market is almost 7%, making it one of the most rapidly developing markets, even taking into account all the difficulties with the registration of new types of medical devices. The issue of import substitution is now more acute than ever. Realising the urgency of the issue and the team's expertise, we decided to invest in the company.

Earlier, startupper Daria Gerasimova presented her tech idea at the federal competition “Biofabrication, Bioprinting and Project Activities” organised by the Foundation for Support of Innovations and Youth Initiatives of St. Petersburg and Samara State Medical University. The competition allowed us to build the necessary connections with the scientific community, as well as to refine the core idea.