By Doreen Hemlock
Imagine living with a skull not fully formed or a face with no cheekbones. Many people with those conditions endure bullying, and some opt to stay mainly at home. Arcomedlab CEO Ilan Rosenberg aims to help those afflicted by offering custom 3D-printed synthetic bone that can be implanted in their bodies. The implant procedures are “more economical and quicker” than traditional surgeries, he says.
Since its founding six years ago in Chile, Arcomedlab has 3D-printed more than 700 made-to-order face and head implants for patients in Latin America. Among its best-known: the world’s largest skull implant, which covered nearly the entire head of a 12-year-old boy born with a skull that never formed fully.
The medtech company now is seeking Food & Drug Administration approval to market its products in the United States. It’s already raised $2.5 million in funding for expansion, mainly from Latin American investors, Rosenberg [pictured above] told Refresh Miami.
Today, Arcomedlab operates through a holding company set up in Delaware in 2023, with branches in Miami and Chile’s capital of Santiago. It staff of 14 people is developing not only the custom implants printed in Chile but also a system that delivers medicine from inside the hollow devices. That drug-release system, inspired by Israel’s drip-irrigation, has earned patents in Chile, Spain and the Netherlands, the CEO said.
Rosenberg and co-founder Dr. Marcos Skarmeta came up with the idea of 3D-printing synthetic bone, recognizing that many people in developing Latin America lack access to remedies for bone conditions that can result from malformations, cancer, strokes or accidents. Without surgeries, those afflicted often suffer emotionally, with children often bullied at school. Rosenberg already had specialized in Italy in 3-D printing of medical devices, so he knew the potential of the new technology.
“We realized we could offer an option for reconstructive surgery that was more affordable, more accessible and more quickly available,” said Rosenberg.
With 3D custom printing, Arcomedlab now can produce implants for as little as $4,000 each in Latin America, cheaper than imported implants or traditional surgical procedures. It can make the implants in days, faster than the time it takes to import devices from Europe or the US, Rosenberg says. After surgery, patients often leave the hospital the next day and return to work a week later, he adds.
Arcomedlab makes its custom implants with a synthetic material long used by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the US. It’s a lightweight thermoplastic called polyetheretherketone (PEEK) known for tolerating extreme temperatures and harsh chemical environments. PEEK offers flexibility similar to natural bone and greater compatibility with the body than titanium, manufacturers say.
Other companies also use PEEK for bone implants, but they typically start with a block and sculpt from the outside in, creating a solid implant. Arcomedlab instead 3D prints each implant from the inside out, wasting less PEEK, allowing greater interior complexity, and allowing integration of its drug-release system inside the implant, Rosenberg said.
The efforts have garnered acclaim. In 2022, Arcomedlab was named Chile’s Startup of the Year in a competition overseen by auditor PwC Chile, the Swiss government and El Mercurio, the country’s top newspaper. The company was accepted into Chile’s GoGlobal program that helps startups expand overseas. Plus, it has backing from The Ganesha Lab, which helps science-based startups from Latin America to scale up worldwide.
So far, Arcomedlab has produced 3D-custom implants for the face and head for patients from Chile, Peru, Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica, Argentina and Spain. It’s now seeking sales authorization in dozens more nations and patents in those countries for its drug-release system. Later, Arcomedlab plans to 3D-print implants for additional parts of the body including the sternum, feet and spine, said Rosenberg.
He envisions a time when Arcomedlab technology is licensed in clinics around the world to produce custom implants in-house. “That’s the future of medicine,” said Rosenberg, “made to order, on site.”
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