HONG KONG, March 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — WH Group Limited (“WH Group” or “the Company”, HKEX stock code: 288) today announced that Smithfield BioScience, a unit of WH Group’s subsidiary Smithfield Foods which delivers life-saving medical solutions from porcine-derived bioproducts, and BioCircuit Technologies, a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded medical device company focused on tissue repair and neural interfacing, will together produce Nerve Tape®, a medical device enabling suture-less nerve repair for traumatic injuries. The technology will allow surgeons to operate faster and achieve precise, reliable rejoining of injured nerves, simplifying the surgical process and improving patient outcomes.
Nerve Tape® is an implantable device composed of decellularized porcine small intestinal submucosa (SIS) embedded with microscale hooks for tissue attachment. It can be quickly and easily wrapped around two ends of a severed nerve to form a strong, reliable connection with distributed tension to promote regeneration. The devices will be prepared from fully traceable SIS tissue harvested from Smithfield’s U.S. operations.
“Our work with BioCircuit demonstrates our expanding portfolio and the value we are creating in a variety of markets through Smithfield’s vertically integrated supply chain and manufacturing expertise,” said Courtney Stanton, President of Smithfield BioScience. “By harvesting porcine bioproducts for medical applications – such as organs, mucosa, and tissues – we have the ability to improve lives through the development of innovative pharmaceuticals and medical devices like this one.”
“We look forward to working with Smithfield BioScience to bring this promising medical device solution to life,” said Michelle Jarrard, CEO of BioCircuit Technologies. “BioCircuit is committed to developing medical technologies, such as Nerve Tape®, to repair, monitor, and control peripheral nerves precisely and reliably. We’re excited to tap into Smithfield’s exceptional level of traceability and product safety in our work to empower surgeons with powerful, practical clinical tools that improve the treatment of injuries.”
In parallel with establishing a commercial supply chain for Nerve Tape®, BioCircuit is also developing non-invasive, bioelectronic devices able to tap into nerve and muscle activity to provide sensitive, high-resolution monitoring and selective, closed-loop stimulation. Useful in the fields of bioelectronic medicine, neuromodulation, neuro-prosthetics, and neuromuscular rehabilitation, this bioelectronics technology provides clinicians with the ability to diagnose health conditions earlier, precisely deliver therapies, and track outcomes over time.
Smithfield BioScience leverages Smithfield’s vertically integrated platform to supply the pharmaceutical and medical device industries with a secure source of porcine-derived products fully traceable to their farms of origin. Since its inception in 2017, Smithfield BioScience has become a leading U.S. manufacturer of heparin, an essential pharmaceutical product used to prevent the formation of blood clots during certain medical procedures or in patients at risk for clots. For more information, visit smithfieldbioscience.com.
About WH Group Limited (HKEX stock code: 288)
WH Group Limited is the largest pork company in the world with the top market share in China, the US and some markets in Europe. It owns many well-recognized and trusted brands and stands above the rest with global market leadership in all key segments of the pork value chain, including packaged meats, fresh pork and hog production. The Group conducts its operations through Henan Shuanghui Investment & Development Co., Ltd., the largest animal protein company in Asia, and Smithfield Foods, the largest pork company in the US. For more information, visit www.wh-group.com.
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