Growth Plate
Mechanics of Growth
The core strength of the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center's basic science is biomechanics. A crucial difference between pediatric and adult Orthopaedic biomechanics is skeletal growth. Therefore, applied mechanobiology of growth is a primary research interest.
We have designed and fabricated a spinal implant based on the premise that some scoliosis may be surgically arrested or corrected much less invasively than current standards of care, by slowing growth on the convex side of the curve. The first phases of the work were supported by industrial partners Ethicon EndoSurgery and DePuy AcroMed, divisions of Johnson and Johnson.
We have determined that the implant and surgical procedures as they are now defined are capable of consistently altering spine growth. We are now planning studies to define the pressure levels that arrest growth. A Trustee grant was awarded toward a better understanding of the basic science of the implant's mechanism of action. A medical device development company, ePrime, LLC has licensed the staple. We have joined to define and design a staple for patients by creating a joint company, SpineForm, LLC, for the purpose of translating the new implant technology to possible clinical trial.
The regulatory pathway for the device is being defined in consultation with the FDA. The new company was granted an award from the National Science Foundation program "Cincinnati Creates Companies," a program jointly administered by the UC Colleges of Medicine, Engineering and Business.
