AROA’s largest bioscaffold study reports low infection rates for Myriad
AROA Biosurgery (ASX: ARX) has announced the peer-reviewed publication of interim results from its ongoing MASTRR Registry in the journal Advances in Therapy, reporting low infection rates for its Myriad soft tissue reconstruction products.
The study included 411 patients enrolled across 10 US centres, representing 474 soft tissue defects. To AROA’s knowledge, it is the largest published prospective analysis of a bioscaffold in in-patient soft tissue reconstruction.
The headline finding: deep tissue infection occurred in only 0.7% of patients and superficial infection in 2.9%, with no infections definitely attributed to Myriad. For investors, the peer-reviewed evidence provides clinical support for broader surgeon adoption of the product.
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What the MASTRR Registry findings revealed
The MASTRR Registry is an ongoing prospective, multicentre observational study evaluating the real-world safety and performance of Myriad Matrix™ and Myriad Morcells™ across a range of complex soft tissue reconstruction procedures.
Over a median follow-up of 27 weeks, the median number of Myriad applications across the 474 defects was one, with no adverse events definitely related to Myriad. The significance of the low infection result lies in the complexity of the patient population studied.
The study population represented a particularly challenging real-world surgical cohort, spanning both patient and defect complexity.
| Complexity factor | Proportion of cohort |
|---|---|
| ASA Class III or IV (significant systemic disease) | ~59% |
| Diabetes | 35% |
| Vascular disease | 30% |
| Nicotine use | 23% |
| Clean-contaminated or contaminated defects | ~89% |
| Chronic defects (over 1 month old) | 59% |
| Confirmed osteomyelitis | 15% |
| Exposed structures (bone, tendon or viscera) | 11% |
The authors presented Myriad’s low infection rates alongside those of several resorbable synthetic bioscaffold products used in complex soft tissue reconstruction, as reported in separately published meta-analyses. Those products reported infection rates ranging from 16% to 25%.
Notably, the MASTRR Registry was not a comparative study. The published analysis discussed the observed infection rate for Myriad in the context of the higher rates reported for other commercially available bioscaffolds, rather than directly testing one product against another.
Understanding bioscaffolds and why infection rates matter
A bioscaffold is a supportive structure, made from an extracellular matrix, that surgeons place into a wound to help the body regenerate its own soft tissue. An extracellular matrix is the natural framework of proteins that surrounds cells and guides tissue repair.
Myriad is derived from the AROA ECM™ platform, a novel extracellular matrix bioscaffold made from ovine (sheep) forestomach. It is used to support healing in complex soft tissue reconstruction procedures.
Post-operative infections matter clinically because they can delay healing, increase the risk of further complications, and may require additional treatments, surgical interventions or hospitalisation. A large US analysis of patients undergoing open surgical procedures found that a surgical site infection added an average of 7.8 to 9.3 days to a patient’s hospital stay and approximately US$18,600 to US$21,000 in healthcare costs, with deep tissue infections creating an even greater burden.
While the interim analysis assessed safety rather than healthcare utilisation or cost savings, AROA notes that Myriad’s favourable infection profile may provide value to healthcare providers managing complex soft tissue defects. A stronger safety profile could support the product’s commercial case, though the study did not measure cost savings directly.
Why this matters for the investment case
The interim analysis adds to a growing evidence base. More than 550 patients are currently enrolled in the MASTRR Registry, which is approved to enrol up to 800 patients across 15 US sites.
AROA believes the findings will support surgeon adoption across a broad range of complex soft tissue reconstruction procedures, building on commercial momentum achieved in FY26, when Myriad sales grew by 54%. The company frames the clinical evidence as supporting adoption rather than guaranteeing it.
Myriad sales grew 54% in FY26, contributing to AROA’s total revenue of NZ$103.9m and a 201% surge in normalised EBITDA, results that exceeded every metric in the company’s own guidance range.
The published interim analysis adds to previously published procedure-specific MASTRR Registry publications in lower extremity reconstruction, trauma, burns, pilonidal disease and pressure injuries.
Brian Ward, CEO
“This is an important milestone for Myriad and the MASTRR Registry. AROA is lifting the bar for the quality of clinical evidence in soft tissue reconstruction… Despite the challenging patient population, infection rates were exceptionally low, and no adverse events were causally related to Myriad. It’s also encouraging to see the authors note the infection profile compared favourably with other commercially available bioscaffolds, as we see this as a key differentiator.”
What comes next for AROA and Myriad
The registry continues to expand toward its approved capacity, and AROA expects the growing dataset to support further analyses across multiple surgical specialties and applications.
The company’s evidence roadmap centres on three areas:
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Continued enrolment toward 800 patients across up to 15 US sites.
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Further specialty-specific analyses drawn from the expanding registry dataset.
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Building evidence to support surgeon confidence, product differentiation and broader adoption.
Aroa Biosurgery is a soft-tissue regeneration company that develops, manufactures, sells and distributes products to improve healing in complex wounds and soft tissue reconstruction. Its products are developed from the proprietary AROA ECM™ platform derived from ovine forestomach.
Over 7.5 million AROA devices have been used globally to date, with distribution into its key US market via a direct sales force and its partner TELABio, Inc. Founded in 2008, AROA is headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand and is listed on the ASX.
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