When Derrick Johns, the CEO and founder of DiFusion Inc., was asked how he knew his company’s antimicrobial medical polymer implant could promote bone growth, he said his answer was simple: “blind faith.”
DiFusion launched in 2008 with a focus on reducing the number of infections acquired in orthopedic and spinal surgeries through the development of self-sterilizing implants.
In April 2015 the company participated in a study that placed its antimicrobial medical polymer implant into a rabbit leg bone to prevent infection and promote bone and tissue integration. When the scans arrived later, the team saw that bone growth had taken place.
Johns joked the company’s surgeon advisors at Yale University were doing cartwheels because DiFusion had discovered a “huge breakthrough.” He said the company actually stumbled upon the formula that spurred bone growth years prior, Johns said.
