Smith & Nephew Plc Smith & Nephew and Imperial College Partnership

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Smith & Nephew Plc

05 September 2017

Smith & Nephew and Imperial College partner to develop enhanced surgical techniques in Sports Medicine

5 September 2017

Smith & Nephew (LSE:SN, NYSE:SNN), the global medical technology business, is pleased to announce it is partnering with Imperial College London to develop enhanced surgical techniques relating to ligament function, biomechanics and soft tissue injuries of the knee, including the most common injuries of torn menisci and anterior cruciate ligament rupture.

The three-year partnership with the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College London will focus on biomechanical research into extra-articular ligaments and their functions whilst gaining valuable insight into the meniscus, the cartilage disk acting as a cushion between femur and tibia. The meniscus has limited healing capabilities, with some injuries increasing the chances of arthritis amongst other debilitating conditions.

"The partnership with Smith & Nephew is priceless for our work. It allows a strategic attack on the unanswered biomechanical issues in knee surgery. Knowing funding is secure for three years allows a step by step 'due diligence' approach to investigating these issues rather than sporadic studies. This is the best way to translate from the lab to patient care" said Mr Andy Williams, Lead Surgical Researcher, Imperial College London and Fortius Clinic.

It is anticipated that the partnership will increase understanding of the role of biomechanics in improving knee stability.

Andy Weymann, Chief Medical Officer, Smith & Nephew, commented: "Meniscus repair is one of the greatest challenges of Sports Medicine. By combining the clinical expertise of Imperial College with our pioneering approach to new product development we expect to be able both to advance surgical techniques and accelerate the development of next generation products."

The partnership is being funded by a $1 million grant from Smith & Nephew.

Professor Andrew Amis, Professor of Orthopaedic Biomechanics and leader of The Biomechanics Group, Imperial College London, said: "This programme grant will allow us to follow through on our ideas from basic anatomy through to design and testing of novel operative procedures to treat sports injuries of the knee. To be working alongside Smith & Nephew at the forefront of Sports Medicine is an exciting prospect."

This partnership follows a recent announcement that Smith & Nephew have entered a long-term collaboration with The University of Hull driving research into pioneering approaches to advanced wound care and in doing so creating one of the largest wound care R&D clusters in the world.

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About Smith & Nephew

Smith & Nephew is a global medical technology business dedicated to helping healthcare professionals improve people's lives. With leadership positions in Orthopaedic Reconstruction, Advanced Wound Management, Sports Medicine and Trauma & Extremities, Smith & Nephew has more than 15,000 employees and a presence in more than 100 countries. Annual sales in 2016 were almost $4.7 billion. Smith & Nephew is a member of the FTSE100 (LSE:SN, NYSE:SNN).

For more information about Smith & Nephew, please visit our website www.smith-nephew.com, follow @SmithNephewplc on Twitter or visit SmithNephewplc on Facebook.com.

Forward-looking Statements

This document may contain forward-looking statements that may or may not prove accurate. For example, statements regarding expected revenue growth and trading margins, market trends and our product pipeline are forward-looking statements. Phrases such as "aim", "plan", "intend", "anticipate", "well-placed", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target", "consider" and similar expressions are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from what is expressed or implied by the statements. For Smith & Nephew, these factors include: economic and financial conditions in the markets we serve, especially those affecting health care providers, payers and customers; price levels for established and innovative medical devices; developments in medical technology; regulatory approvals, reimbursement decisions or other government actions; product defects or recalls or other problems with quality management systems or failure to comply with related regulations; litigation relating to patent or other claims; legal compliance risks and related investigative, remedial or enforcement actions; disruption to our supply chain or operations or those of our suppliers; competition for qualified personnel; strategic actions, including acquisitions and dispositions, our success in performing due diligence, valuing and integrating acquired businesses; disruption that may result from transactions or other changes we make in our business plans or organisation to adapt to market developments; and numerous other matters that affect us or our markets, including those of a political, economic, business, competitive or reputational nature. Please refer to the documents that Smith & Nephew has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including Smith & Nephew's most recent annual report on Form 20-F, for a discussion of certain of these factors. Any forward-looking statement is based on information available to Smith & Nephew as of the date of the statement. All written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to Smith & Nephew are qualified by this caution. Smith & Nephew does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect any change in circumstances or in Smith & Nephew's expectations.

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September 05, 2017 03:00 ET (07:00 GMT)