University of South Florida

University of Chile

Medtronic, Inc.

University of Florida Research Foundation Inc

Boehringer Ingelheim International Gmbh

Thomas B Freeman

Wesley M Johnson

Pablo Caviedes

Raul Caviedes

Matthew S Solar

Rudy A Mazzocchi

Juan A Asenjo

Barbara A Andrews

Dario Sepúlveda

Christian Arriagada

Paul R Sanberg

Scott Ronald Brodeur

Julio Salazar Rivera

Juan Sanchez-Ramos

Shijie Song

James P O'Connor

Paul Russell Scholl

Gerald Henry Nabozny

William Janssen

Ben Guiot

Juergen Steffgen

An improvement of a polyaxial screw head disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 8,277,490. A saddle resides within a tulip. The saddle is configured to mate with a rod. An outer set screw engages an inner surface of the tulip. An inner set screw is disposed within a lumen of an outer set screw. A force distributor has a concave surface configured to mate with the rod. The force distributor has a bore configured to accept a conical end of the inner set screw. The force distributor is configured to distribute the force applied onto the bore by the inner set screw along the contact area with rod. The force distributor allows the rod to pivot and have sagittal motion when the inner set screw is untightened. The force distributor immobilizes the rod within the saddle when the inner set screw is tightened.

Adaptation sphere saddle

An inter-vertebral cage with a wedge shape eccentrically located on the leading end of the cage. The ectopically shaped leading edge of this embodiment facilitates easier interbody spacer placement with less risk of nerve injury, as well as with likely decreased risk of destruction of the end plate during the distraction process when the interbody cage is impacted.

Asymmetric disc distracting cage

The present invention provides an apparatus and method that will allow surgeons to produce bone growth masses for use in spinal surgery that are capable of maintaining their physical integrity during placement and during the acute post operative period.

Bone fusion material compressor and method of use

The present invention provides both a device and a method. The device is a human made replacement for the soft discs in the spine. A fabric pouch encloses a central hydraulic element made up of small soft beads. Two pouches with beads are implanted into a prepared disc space to function as an intervertebral disc. The method is conversion of the device into a fusion element.

Prostheses for spine discs having fusion capability

The subject invention pertains to tumor cell lines useful for increasing the proliferation potential of any human or animal cell in culture, thereby providing immortalized or continuous cell lines and cultures. The invention also concerns proliferation factors, and compositions containing the factors, which are capable of increasing the proliferation potential of any human or other animal cell in culture. The subject invention further pertains to a method for proliferating cells in culture by contacting cells with the proliferation factors. The proliferated cells can range in plasticity and can include, for example, blast cells, fertilized ova, non-fertilized gametes, embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells, precursor or progenitor cells, and highly specialized cells. Optionally, the cells can be induced to cease proliferation. The proliferated cells of the subject invention are useful for cell therapy, cell/gene therapy, biological production of molecules, and as in vitro models for research, toxicity testing, and drug development.

Conditioned medium and proliferated cell lines produced therefrom

A novel surgical screw is presented as a polyaxial, multiaxial, or monoaxial screw. The polyaxial screw allows versatile angulation between a bone anchor section and a screw body and allows the surgeon to attach a rod to the invention in a top-loading manner and manipulate the rod to accommodate a patient's body and the surgical goals. The screw uses a rod saddle to seat a rod, and permits the surgeon to sagitally manipulate the rod. After implantation of the screw and insertion of the rod, a locking screw is used to fix the angle and position of the rod and screw body.

Translational manipulation polyaxial screw head

The subject invention pertains to materials and methods for inhibiting process formation and extension by cells in culture. The subject invention further includes cultures of process-forming cells wherein formation and extension of processes have been inhibited. In another aspect, the subject invention concerns methods of transplantation using process-forming cells that have been cultured by the process-inhibiting methods of the invention.

Methods for cell therapy

The subject invention pertains to tumor cell lines useful for increasing the proliferation potential of any human or animal cell in culture, thereby providing immortalized or continuous cell lines and cultures. The invention also concerns proliferation factors, and compositions containing the factors, which are capable of increasing the proliferation potential of any human or other animal cell in culture. The subject invention further pertains to a method for proliferating cells in culture by containing cells with the proliferation factors. The proliferated cells can range in plasticity and can include, for example, blast cells, fertilized ova, non-fertilized gametes, embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells, precursor or progenitor cells, and highly specialized cells. Optionally, the cells can be induced to cease proliferation. The proliferated cells of the subject invention are useful for cell therapy, cell/gene therapy, biological production of molecules, and as in vitro models for research, toxicity testing, and drug development.

Proliferated cell lines and uses thereof

The present invention makes a grid array, for use in the transplantation of materials into the brain, in the shape of a predetermined structure, such as the putamen, based on anatomic analysis the structure. Alternatively, a smaller grid array is used which only includes the putamen target and not the caudate target, and also has two windows within the grid array. Because of the smaller size of this grid array as well as the two cutouts in the middle, it is possible for the first time to observe the brain as the needle enters the brain through the grid array. The previous solid and larger grid array made the passage of the needle into the brain a blind maneuver. Therefore if there was cortical bleeding at the time of needle insertion, it would not be known until after the transplant was done.

Putamen grid

This document discusses trajectory guides that include an instrument guide with at least one lumen angled with respect to an orthogonal or other through-axis. In one example, patterned lumens on the instrument guide provide a mirror image pattern of trajectory axes intersecting a target plane. In another example, height adjustment of the instrument guide extends these or other targeting techniques to a three-dimensional volume. This document also describes a method of manufacturing such an instrument guide, which is also applicable to manufacturing an instrument guide providing parallel lumens.

Trajectory guide with angled or patterned guide lumens or height adjustment

An anti-subsidence, anti-translocation, fusion compression cervical plate system with interface visualization, drill guide and temporary pin is provided. In one embodiment the invention provides a vertebral plate for minimizing the ability of an inter-body cage, filled with bone (or BMP-soaked sponges, etc.), to telescope into the vertebral body and to minimize failure due to cages that telescope into adjacent vertebral bodies on a delayed basis after surgery, as well as creation of reverse lordosis due to such telescoping. Another embodiment provides method to reduce the gap between the inter-body cage and the vertebral body end plate intra-operatively using compression from the plate caused by an offset between the screw bores on the plate and the drill holes, as established with an asymmetric drill guide.

Cervical plate system

Trajectory guide with angled or patterned lumens or height adjustment

The subject invention pertains to tumor cell lines useful for increasing the proliferation potential of any human or animal cell in culture, thereby providing immortalized or continuous cell lines and cultures. The invention also concerns proliferation factors, and compositions containing the factors, which are capable of increasing the proliferation potential of any human or other animal cell in culture. The subject invention further pertains to a method for proliferation cells in culture by contacting cells with the proliferation factors. The proliferated cells can range in plasticity and can include, for example, blast cells, fertilized ova, non-fertilized gametes, embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells, precursor or progenitor cells, and highly specialized cells. Optionally, the cells can be induced to cease proliferation. The proliferation cells of the subject invention are useful for cell therapy, cell/gene therapy, biological production of molecules, and as in vitro models for research, toxicity testing, and drug development.

Growing community of inventors

Tampa, FL, United States of America

Thomas B Freeman