LfC’s mission and activities

LfC’s mission is to support the human neural and musculoskeletal system, especially the spine. According to the World Health Organisation, 25% of the global population suffers from spinal problems.

At the beginning of its development, LfC adopted the general motto: “If we do ..., we do it ...better”. This means that the company always strives for excellence and innovation in whatever it does. The motto was coined at a time when the word innovation was not part of the every-day vocabulary.

LfC operates in the demanding medical sector, conducting interdisciplinary innovation activity in the area of medical products and technologies, biomedical engineering, bionanomaterials and so on. It deals with research and development and production.

LfC’s commitment to innovation is reflected in:

- patents, invention applications and trade marks;

- R&D work, including special-purpose projects conducted in conjunction with the Ministry of Science and Higher Education;

- scientific and development work with orthopaedic and neurosurgical clinics in Europe;

- R&D cooperation with scientific and biotechnical centres;

- over 80 implants/instruments registered (CE Marking and national registration);

- almost 400 publications about LfC-manufactured products published by LfC and users, symposiums, exhibitions;

- cooperation with foreign partners, institutions, experts and so on.



LfC’s goal is to operate at least on a European scale. Its headquarters is in Poland but its products – DERO spinal implants – are used across the world. This is why the conviction that LfC is “a European company in Poland” is so deeply rooted among its staff.



From advanced research to the development of the innovative DERO implant



The company’s main objective is to manufacture and market modern bio-products in the form of DERO spinal implants. Many of them involve a totally new surgical treatment, improved effectiveness and better protection against disability. An important thing is that the products have to compete successfully with those made by the competition, which means they have to be attractive both in terms of their therapeutic features and price.

LfC also contributes to solving major social problems, like helping aging populations stay healthy. This problem mainly affects affluent countries, like Germany and Britain, but it is also gaining in importance in Poland. LfC has prepared a supra-regional programme, Health Through Movement, which is waiting for large-scale implementation.

The development of innovative bio-products is coordinated by the LfC Research and Development Centre. LfC – which has adopted a strategy oriented at innovation and research and development, with a strong emphasis on implementation - is one of the first private companies in Poland to have been awarded the prestigious status of Research and Development Centre. The status, granted by deputy Prime Minister Waldemar Pawlak, is very important for the company considering its profile. The company’s Research and Development Department has three sections dealing with design and development, research and project management. The department has its own laboratory which conducts highly specialised bio-engineering, bio-materials and bio-tolerance research. The department has set itself a huge challenge to meet the expectations of the world market for medical products. Additionally, LfC has also started to conduct research projects for its foreign partners from the United States, Mexico, Germany and Israel.

The establishment of the Medical Bioengineering Institute, something LfC was entitled to do as it has the status of Research and Development Centre, was an important step in the company’s development. The main task of the institute is to develop innovative surgical methods to treat disorders of the musculoskeletal system together with implants, surgical instruments and procedures. The institute verifies their clinical usefulness and safety in compliance with existing standards and ethical norms. These activities are coupled with large-scale interdisciplinary R&D cooperation with Polish and foreign partners in the area of bioengineering, neurosurgery, orthopaedics and psychology. The most excellent Polish and foreign spinal implant specialists – surgeons and bioengineers – have been invited to work with the institute. The institute also conducts basic research and provides advisory services and post-graduate training to surgeons and operating theatre personnel.

The company’s intellectual capital, that is the knowledge it has gained over the years, is one of the pillars of its success. Another one is the experience and skills of its largely young staff and the ability to find a market niche.

LfC, which has introduced many innovations, sees the need to fully protect its intellectual property in order to prevent the loss of benefits expected in the future, including economic benefits. It is also important to constantly analyse new trends in spine surgery to be able to met the goal set by LfC President Lechosław F. Ciupik for 2009: “To be ahead of state-of-the-art in spine surgery.” In this connection, the Intangible Assets Division – IA was set up within the Research and Development Department in February 2009. Its main task is to analyse the market and the state of technology on a current basis, acquire protection rights for new assets the company gains in the course of its science and invention work and deal with intellectual property management in a broad sense, including strategies for using the company’s protected knowledge and assessing and acquiring external protected knowledge.

LfC has expertise and experience of many years in R&D activity focused on innovation. It takes an active part in research and development at the Polish, European and global level. The company knows the needs of the implant market thanks to its knowledge about current development trends and the activity of its competitors. As a result, LfC is able to design innovative world-class products and put them into production and clinical practice.

An excellent example of LfC’s advanced research and development activity is the innovative minimally-invasive inSWing method, which has set a new trend in the effective treatment of lumbar spine disorders. The patent for this method has been sold to the United States. This product of Polish bioengineering and medical thought has gained recognition in numerous operating theatres across the world. Spine surgery experts taking part in a spine congress in Brussels in 2008 called the inSWing “a third-generation implant” while the inSWing method was hailed as “the most advanced spine treatment solution in its area of application.”

LfC owes its growing position on the market to its research and development activity inspired and coordinated by President Lechosław F. Ciupik. Creative activity gives one a huge advantage on the market for medical products. Given its intensive research and development activity and its well-established position and knowledge of the international market, LfC is well prepared and able to compete on the global market for specialist surgical equipment, overcome the crisis and help patients across the world.



LfC is looking into the future with confidence.