Correspondence: Simon Cartmell, ApaTech Ltd, 370 Centennial Avenue, Centennial Park, Elstree, Herts WD6 3TJ, UK. Tel: +44 (0)20 8731 4640; Fax: +44 (0)20 8731 4669; E-mail: simon.cartmell@apatech.com

¹has 25 years pharmaceutical, healthcare and biotechnology industry experience. He spent 17 years at GlaxoWellcome (now GlaxoSmithKline) in a number of UK and global commercial, manufacturing and development roles. He joined Vernalis Group (formerly Vanguard Medica Plc) as Chief Operating Officer in 1998. He oversaw its acquisition of the neurosciences company, Cerebrus plc in 1999. Following this, he joined the Board of Celltech plc in the role of Chief Executive Officer, Celltech Pharmaceuticals. Upon leaving Celltech in mid-2002, he worked with the venture capital and biotech community in a variety of interim CEO, business development and consulting roles. He joined ApaTech in early 2004 as CEO. He is also chairman of Curidium Medica plc, a quoted neuroscience biotech and chairman of OSspray Ltd, an emerging dental materials company.

Received 8 January 2007; Revised 8 January 2007.

Abstract

ApaTech is an excellent example of how innovative technology from a British university can be developed and commercialised on a global scale. Its leading product, Actifuse, competes in the crowded bone graft substitute market. Its competitors include autograft, allograft, recombinant proteins and other synthetic materials based on similar calcium phosphate technology. Discoveries regarding the role of ionic species within normal bone lead to the development of greater insights into the subtle interactions of graft structure, graft chemistry and the biology of bone formation. Financing from 3i and MTI allied to the intellectual property residing in the IRC in Biomedical Materials, Queen Mary University London plus strong commercially oriented management has resulted in ApaTech establishing itself as a major force in the bone graft substitute market. ApaTech has successfully differentiated its products and technology from that of established major orthopaedic company offerings and is capturing significant market share, particularly in the UK and USA where ApaTech has established a direct presence.