The Center for Musculoskeletal Regeneration was awarded $6 million by the United States Department of Defense under the leadership of surgeon Bradley Weiner, MD, to take 3ZM technology from preclinical validation to first-in-human clinical trials over the next three years. The procedure can be performed during a single operation and would not require the use of any additional hardware — a true revolution in orthopedic surgery.

A 3ZM is a suturable biodegradable collagen-based device that mimics the structure and composition of growing bones.

When implanted in animal models, 3ZM attracts immune and stem cells that remodel the area into functional tissues. Within six weeks, the fracture is healed, the implanted materials resorbed by the body, and the bone is as strong as, or stronger, than it was prior to the injury.