About
The first biotech company founded in regional Western Australia, Marine Biomedical has a world-class team of scientific researchers and business leaders committed to developing innovative medical products derived from sustainable marine resources.
Our journey began with a ground-breaking invention by orthopaedic scientists Professor Minghao Zheng and Dr Rui (Chris) Ruan at the University of Western Australia. Their patented technology PearlBone™, a natural bone substitute made from pearl shell, demonstrated the incredible potential of marine organisms being substituted for synthetic material in orthopaedic trauma medicine, and offered a superb opportunity to collaborate with the aquaculture industry to establish a biomedical enterprise in the Kimberley.
Co-founded by Professor Minghao Zheng and marine biologist Patrick Moase through a commercial collaboration with the University of Western Australia; and Robert Banfield, Chairman of Willie Creek Pearls, Marine Biomedical will use this patented technology to transform pearl shell from the pure oceanic waters of Broome into an approved medical product sold around the world. We expect PearlBone™ to be the first in a diverse portfolio of products to come as our research into the potential development for a multitude of medical applications of marine material continues.
Comparison of the effect of PearlBone™ compared against a control and conventional bone substitute in early-stage bone healing during pre-clinical trials.
Raw Mother of Pearl shell and nacre powder.
3-D Micro-computed Tomography (CT) scan of bone healed by PearlBone™ in pre-clinical trials.
Biomedical products
Our first patented technology PearlBone™ is an ingenious natural bone substitute derived from nacre, or mother of pearl, which we source from Broome’s historical pearling industry.
In the early 20th century, the perilous work of local divers produced 80% of the world’s mother of pearl, used to make buttons and jewellery. With pearl shell now a by-product of Broome’s cultured pearl industry, we are proud to find a new role for this iconic Kimberley product in the biomedical sphere.
Through ongoing development and refinement of PearlBone™, Marine Biomedical is focused on a pathway to regulatory approval for this remarkable medical product, which has been proven to support new bone growth and boasts extraordinary promise across a range of orthopaedic and dental applications.
As we continue to explore the exciting possibilities of marine derived bio-additives for use in medical products, we envision our Broome headquarters becoming a new centre of research excellence and manufacturing in regional WA. The development of an ISO 7 standard cleanroom manufacturing facility, the first of its kind in the Kimberley, will allow us to demonstrate the vision of our founding partners: the evolution of PearlBone™ from concept to a medical product manufactured and packaged in the very same town that supplies our unique raw materials.
We hope you will follow our journey as we strive to unite scientific innovation and the traditional maritime industries of the north-west to deliver ground-breaking medical technology to the world.
To learn more about the early days of the Western Australian Pearling Industry and the wild harvest of pearl shell, click here.
“The marriage of bone and Broome’s Mother of Pearl Shells has highlighted an opportunity to use natural marine ingredients to revolutionise the medical industry. We are confident Marine Biomedical’s patented technology for use in the bone substitute industry will be the first of many natural derived medical devices developed by the Company in regional Western Australia and showcased to the world”.
Professor Minghao Zheng
Marine Biomedical Co Founder