Researchers at the University of Toledo (UT) www.utoledo.edu have developed a new medical device to help reduce infections from spinal surgery. To take the device to market, Dr. Anand Agarwal, CEO, Spinal Balance, UT professor of Bioengineering and Dr. Vijay Goel, Professor at UT have launched the company called “Spinal Balance” http://spinalbalance.us an early stage orthopedic medical device company, to develop the “Libra Pedicle Screw System.”
“Deep bone infections are a serious problem”, reports Dr. Agarwal. Keeping anything from touching or contracting the threads of a screw is very important. The aim is to provide the surgeon with technically advanced implants that are easy to handle and can be implanted using improved aseptic techniques.”
Libra is a pre-sterilized individually packaged screw system designed to combat contamination in the operating room. FDA cleared the Libra system last year to be used to fuse the spine to reduce back pain in cases of degeneration, trauma, and deformity.
The device development resulted from the UT “LaunchPad Incubation Program” www.utoledo.edu/incubator which provides faculty members and community entrepreneur’s assistance and the ability to work in state-of-the-art facilities as the researchers navigate the road from concept to commercialization.
Support was also available from the State of Ohio’s “Third Frontier Program” http://dev.ohio.gov/bs_thirdfrontier and Rocket Innovations www.utoledo.edu/rocketinnovations.