K2m, Inc.

Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation

University of Michigan

Tissue Regeneration Systems, Inc.

Frank LaMarca

Nick Padovani

Josh David Rubin

Michael Y Wang

Gregory Poulter

Steven Tresser

Robert Lee

Hadley Sis

William Leo Murphy

Scott J Hollister

Chia-Ying Lin

Stephen E Feinberg

James R Adox

Stephn E Feinberg

A system for dilating tissue includes a retractor having a pair of retractor blades that are movable towards and away from each other to retract tissue of a patient. The retractor blades have longitudinal guide channels. A first pin is attachable to a first vertebra. The system also includes an interbody spacer insertion device that has a guide channel for slidably engaging the longitudinal channel guide and is releasably attachable to an interbody spacer. The interbody spacer insertion device is configured to guide the interbody spacer into a space between adjacent vertebrae. A method for using the system includes advancing the retractor blades towards first and second vertebrae. The first retractor blade is attached to the first vertebra using the first pin and the retractor blades are moved away from each other. The interbody spacer insertion device is translated towards the vertebrae to position the interbody spacer between the vertebrae.

Sagittal balance systems and methods of use thereof

A cage for facilitating fusion of bones, such as vertebrae, or fusion of adjacent bone surfaces is disclosed. In one form, the cage includes a plurality of spaced apart walls comprising a biodegradable polymeric material (e.g., polycaprolactone); an osteoconductive mineral coating (e.g., a calcium compound) on at least a portion of the walls; and a bioactive agent (e.g., a bone morphogenetic protein) associated with the polymeric material and/or the coating. The bioactive agent is present in amount that induces ossification between the bones or adjacent bone surfaces. The cage may also include a fixation plate connected to at least one of the walls.

Degradable cage coated with mineral layers for spinal interbody fusion

Methods for the engineering and preparation of intervertebral disc repair scaffolds and articulating joint repair scaffolds are disclosed. The methodology utilizes either magnetic resonance images or combined magnetic resonance and computed tomography images as a template for creating either the intervertebral scaffold or the joint repair scaffold (e.g., osteochondral scaffold) with fixation to the underlying bone. The disc scaffold design may include an outer annulus that may contain desired structures and a central nucleus pulposus region that could either contain a designed microstructure or a contained hydrogel. The osteochondral scaffold may include a bone compartment interface with a cartilage compartment. The bone compartment may interface with a cutout portion of the bone through fixation components. Different microstructure designs may be created for the bone and cartilage compartment to represent desired mechanical and mass transport properties. The scaffolds are designed with a microstructure that controls elastic and permeability property distribution within the scaffold.

Engineered scaffolds for intervertebral disc repair and regeneration and for articulating joint repair and regeneration

Growing community of inventors

Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

Frank LaMarca