@JimBoots the rest Former Australian of the year and leading...

@JimBoots the rest

Former Australian of the year and leading plastic surgeon Dr Fiona Wood has also been added to the board as the company bolsters its credentials ahead of a global push.

Aside from the obvious positives for individual patients, Mr Van Der Wielen said the broader economic impact of the technology stood up, and helped convince him to come on as the company’s chairman earlier this year.

“Some products that help us live longer are amazing, but they actually increase the cost of health – so humanity wins because you and I live longer – but economically, it becomes really hard for governments to fund some of the ongoing products,” he said.

“There’s many innovations that are positive for humanity, but negative for our health economics. This one has the ability to not only improve health outcomes, but reduce cost.”

Dr Wood, who gained global recognition for the development of spray-on skin used to treat victims of the 2002 terrorist bombings in Bali, said the Orthocell technology provided an opportunity for improvement on what was currently available.

“It’s unique, it works,” she said. “The capacity to restore function is, in certain circumstances, life changing.”

Mr Anderson said Orthocell would work with US regulators to gain access to the major market, before expanding to Europe.
“The big ticket item for us is the United States, the largest healthcare market in the world,” he said.
“John’s skill sets are ideally tailor-made for the next phase in this company.”