The AFR has profiled Orthocell’s increased investment in Marine Biomedical and its novel bone-repair technology, PearlBone™, in this article by Tom Rabe titled ‘The company repairing human bone with Kimberley pearl shells.’ 

Orthocell Chairman John Van Der Wielen explains that this investment contributes to Orthocell’s broader strategy to support surgeons with a more complete trauma-repair toolkit spanning nerve, tendon and bone, while bringing new Australian-made biomedical innovation to international markets. 

Here’s an excerpt: 

“It’s the same market in a sense, and all of the surgeons dealing with trauma will tell you that when you’ve got a gunshot injury or a major trauma from a car accident, you need bone, nerve and tendon,” Van Der Wielen said. 

With regulatory approvals already secured for Orthocell’s nerve repair device, Remplir™, across Australia, the US, Canada, Singapore and Hong Kong, and PearlBone now progressing toward US approval, Orthocell is executing a long-term strategy to expand across multiple surgical indications and markets. 

Read the article. 

Orthocell has entered into a binding Formal Agreement with Marine Biomedical, increasing its equity interest from 1.72% to 11.7% for a total investment of AU$1.05 million. 

 As part of the transaction, Orthocell has secured a first right of refusal over global distribution rights for PearlBone™, Marine Biomedical’s bone regeneration technology, and any future bone repair and regeneration products. 

PearlBone is an innovative, next-generation bone substitute product developed using sustainably sourced pearl shells from the West Australian Kimberley coast. The product has highly promising applications in bone repair and regeneration across the orthopaedic, trauma and reconstructive surgery markets. 

Marine Biomedical is progressing toward U.S. regulatory approval and commercialisation of PearlBone, with a pivotal study nearing completion to support a U.S. FDA 510(k) submission by March 2026, positioning the product for potential entry into the US$1.6 billion global bone substitute market. 

Orthocell Chair, John Van Der Wielen, said:  

“This partnership adds further value to Orthocell’s strategy by introducing a leading bone regeneration product that can be sold alongside Orthocell’s market-leading collagen device. PearlBone strengthens our biologically driven portfolio and positions Orthocell as a multi-product company spanning bone, nerve, and tendon repair. 

“This investment is sensibly timed for shareholders, given the impending FDA application, and we believe Marine Biomedical has the potential to become a large and successful biotechnology company in its own right.” 

Click to read the ASX release.