Sample Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New Thru-Fuze™ device that replaces invasive spinal fusion procedures to treat chronic back pain currently in human trials in Australia.
Sydney, Australia - January 27th, 2018 - Professor Bill Walsh, surgical device inventor and Director of Surgical and Orthopedic Laboratories at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, has developed an innovative new spinal fusion device that avoids the need for more invasive surgery and bone grafts. Currently, human trials that began in late 2016 at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Australia, are underway.
“Thru-Fuze™ is a porous, titanium clamp with a U-shape on each end that fits over neighboring vertebrae, holding the bone in place and preventing painful movement in the compromised area resulting from pinched nerves. The patient’s bone naturally grows on and around the device, locking it into place and adding additional stability without the need for painful bone grafts from alternate locations, such as the hip. The device also eliminates the need for the invasive drilling into the spine to accommodate placement of rods and screws, which are currently used to stabilize the spine in fusion surgeries.
“Existing methods of spinal fusion use rod or cage systems that require screws to be drilled into the spine and a painful bone graft harvested, which is the material used to form the bridge and obtain the fusion between the vertebrae in the spine. These systems are very costly, difficult and time consuming to implant and they also have relatively variable rates of fusion success.” Stated Dr. Walsh.
The current method of spinal fusion relies on the bone to form across the compromised vertebrae, which can take up to a year before surgeons are able to determine if the fusion has succeeded. In over 50% of patients using existing methods of spinal fusion, failure to achieve a solid fusion has been reported.
Thru-Fuze™ enables the goal of fusion surgery—stability of the compromised vertebrae—to take place without the need for painful bone graft or structurally difficult spinal drilling with rod and screw placement. It is installed by way of a less invasive surgical procedure, resulting in rapid “bio-mechanical” fixation. Over time this allows for bone fusion in the area to occur, holding the vertebrae in their proper spacing and alignment.
The Thru-Fuze™ device was one of seven medical devices to receive funding from NSW Health’s Medical Device Fund, announced by the NSW Minister of Health, Jillian Skinner, for First-In-Man trials.
Intellectual Ventures has exclusively licensed the device from UNSW as part of a five-year ongoing partnership with UNSW Innovations, and patents for the technology have also been filed in Australia, Europe, China and the United States.
Contact:
Elisa Christensen
PO Box 6690
Pine Mountain Club, CA 93222
United States
Ph: 805-223-3314
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