DURHAM, N.C. — In a field of more than 1,400 global applicants, SutureTech secured one of the five coveted finalist slots at the 2025 MedTech Innovator Grand Prize competition. Its inclusion alongside peers like Luminoah and Rivanna marks a significant distinction for the North Carolina medtech community.
Founded and led by Dr. Oke Anakwenze, a surgeon and professor of orthopedic surgery at Duke University, SutureTech has been developing a novel all-suture soft tissue fixation device called RapidFix™. Dr. Anakwenze, who has published more than 200 peer-reviewed articles and holds multiple patents, designed RapidFix over eight years to simplify tendon-to-bone repair while maintaining strong, reliable fixation.
In September 2025, SutureTech announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted 510(k) clearance for RapidFix™, marking a major regulatory milestone for the company. The device is cleared as a “dual anchor, all-suture” system intended for soft-tissue-to-bone fixation in orthopedic procedures—a design that aims to reduce surgical complexity while preserving procedural strength.
As one of the five finalists in MTI’s 2025 Early-Stage Grand Prize contest, SutureTech joined Luminoah, Rivanna Medical, STENTiT, and Armor Medical at The MedTech Conference hosted by AdvaMed in San Diego. Each finalist presented to an audience of over 1,000 industry leaders, investors, and healthcare executives and was awarded $25,000 as a finalist. The finalist status acknowledges both market potential and technical maturity.
Armor Medical was announced the winner of the $350,000 Grand Prize for their innovative advanced maternal aRMOR, non-invasive, real-time monitoring to detect early hemorrhage that empowers healthcare providers to save lives, enhance workflow efficiencies, and reduce the cost of care.
For the Durham region, SutureTech’s advancement adds to local momentum in medtech and orthopedics, showing that high-impact device development can thrive outside traditional hubs. As SutureTech proceeds to pitch live at The MedTech Conference, its next steps—clinical adoption, scalability, and market partnerships—will draw attention not just to the company, but to the innovation ecosystem in the Research Triangle.
