Chicago, Ill. — ViviGen^® Cellular Bone Matrix, an innovative cellular allograft developed by LifeNet Health and marketed in collaboration with DePuy Synthes Spine, has received one of the highest honors in spinal medicine, Orthopedics This Week’s Best New Technology in Spine award.

Launched in January 2015, ViviGen represents a paradigm shift in the fields of bone repair and tissue engineering. It is the first allograft bone-healing solution to incorporate live, viable bone cells, which are critical to the healing process. ViviGen is the outcome of a four-year research and development process, during which LifeNet Health created new techniques for tissue recovery, preparation, preservation and packaging in order to maintain viability in sensitive bone cells.

The outcome of that effort is a cellular allograft that promotes new-bone growth and is exceptionally easy to use in the operating room, making it an effective alternative to autograft — a patient’s own bone — in spinal surgeries.

“ViviGen addresses a clear need in the surgical community for an allograft that combines the right cells with the right scaffold, utilizing processes specifically designed and developed to provide clinicians a safe and effective solution for their patients,” said LifeNet Health Vice President of Global Marketing Daniel Osborne. “We are honored to be recognized both for the work that went into developing ViviGen and for the collaboration with DePuy Synthes Spine that has helped benefit people across the globe.”

Each year, Orthopedics This Week presents its Spine Technology Awards to inventors, engineering teams, surgeons and companies that help improve care for people with spinal disorders. The judging panel of five surgeons selected ViviGen as the honoree in the Biomaterials and Biologics category.

The awards are presented during the North American Spine Society’s Annual Meeting, being held Oct. 14-17 in Chicago, Ill. See the full list of honorees at www.ryortho.com.