Trading Statement

30 Nov 2005 07:04

Original Investments PLC30 November 2005 Original Investments PLC ("Original Investments" or "the Company") Acrobot update An innovative medical device, enabling orthopaedic surgeons to accurately planand perform hip resurfacing surgery, has been granted a CE-mark by BSI'sCertification Panel. The surgical navigation product has been developed by TheAcrobot Company ("Acrobot") in which Original Investments, the AIM-quotedinvestment company, has a 25% shareholding. The device has been developed incollaboration with Corin Group PLC ("Corin"), and the CE-mark is themanufacturer's guarantee that the device meets all the required Europeanmanufacturing and safety standards. Acrobot develops surgical systems for minimally-invasive, bone-conservingorthopaedic surgery. The new device, called Acrobot(R) Navigation, is beingcommercialised by Corin, under the name of Wayfinder(R), to enable accurateimplantation of the company's metal on metal hip resurfacing implant.Clinical trials are to start immediately at a London hospital. Justin Cobb,Professor of Orthopaedics at Imperial College, will lead the alpha site. Twoadditional sites in the UK and a third in Australia will start evaluation of theAcrobot(R) Navigation system in the second quarter of 2006. The device will bein wider use from the second half of 2006. The Acrobot(R) Navigation system gives the surgeon the ability to accuratelyimplant hip resurfacing prostheses in a minimally invasive procedure. It differsfrom competitive products by using mechanical tracking rather than optical orelectromagnetic technologies, giving it a higher accuracy at a lower cost.Acrobot believes that this unique selling point will increase the use of thetechnology, making it accessible to a larger number of surgeons and patients.The Acrobot(R) Navigation system has been developed by the Acrobot team at thecompany's laboratories in London. Acrobot is seeking licensees and distributorsfor applications of Navigation to other orthopaedic procedures. It is the secondof a number of related products to be produced by Acrobot, having launched theAcrobot(R) Planner software and service last month. A third product planned forlaunch in 2006 is the Acrobot(R) Hands-On Robotic System, which has already beensuccessfully proven in clinic for unicompartmental knee arthroplasty. Enquiries to: Dr. Paula Gomes, Director of OperationsThe Acrobot Company Ltd, Tel: +44 (0)20 7403 5866, Email:enquiries@acrobot.co.ukor Terry Bond, Managing Director, Original Investments PLC 44 (0) 1235 834734.Email: tb@originalinvestments.com About The Acrobot Company Ltd The Acrobot Company Ltd develops precision surgical systems for minimallyinvasive, bone conserving, orthopaedic surgery. The Company was founded sixyears ago by Imperial Innovations as a collaboration to combine the skills ofclinicians and academics Using proprietary surgical planning software andstate-of-the-art Hands-On Robotics(TM), and Passive Constraint Navigation(TM)systems, Acrobot's products assist surgeons in achieving better patient outcomesby improving surgical precision and reducing surgical errors, while loweringoverall procedure cost. About Original Investments PLC Original Investments PLC, formerly called BioProjects International PLC, isquoted on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange. The Company specializesin providing finance for early-stage companies that can demonstrate immediategrowth prospects and significant financial potential. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange