EAST PROVIDENCE, RI--(Marketwired - Aug 31, 2015) - IlluminOss Medical, a commercial stage medical device company focused on minimally invasive orthopaedic fracture repair, today announced that its first patient at Rhode Island Hospital has been successfully treated under the care of Richard Terek, M.D., as part of its U.S. Lightfix clinical trial. The trial applies IlluminOss' groundbreaking approach to orthopedic fracture repair leveraging its proprietary bone stabilization technology to the treatment of impending and pathologic fractures in the humerus due to metastatic bone disease.
Dr. Terek is an attending orthopedic surgeon at The Miriam and Rhode Island hospitals and Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Providence VA Medical Center, specializing in adult reconstructive surgery and musculoskeletal oncology. He is also an expert in the treatment of patients with osteogenic sarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, chondrosarcoma, soft-tissue sarcoma, metastatic cancer, and benign bone and soft tissue tumors.
IlluminOss' minimally invasive technology allows for fracture fixation utilizing a light-curable polymer, contained within a balloon catheter. The IlluminOss System provides a simple, percutaneous surgical approach which enables surgeons to create a first-of-its-kind patient-conforming implant providing almost instant internal support of bones affected by cancer.
"IlluminOss' technology promises to fulfill an important clinical need for patients with metastatic bone disease," said Dr. Terek. "In cases of metastatic carcinoma the cancer often destroys so much of the bone that it is difficult to achieve stabilization with a conventional rod. IlluminOss offers a less invasive approach designed to make more effective implants possible. I'm very satisfied with the results in this case to date and look forward to offering this treatment option to more patients who qualify."
The IlluminOss System has been used in the treatment of over a thousand patients in Europe, where it is commercially available and has been in clinical use since 2010. Benefits observed often include smaller incisions, shorter procedure times, and more rapid post-procedure patient mobility with reduced hospital stays and lower complication rates.
"We've already seen many successful results in the treatment of patients around the world but, as a Rhode Island-based company, there is something particularly gratifying to us personally about treating our first patient here," said Robert Rabiner, president of IlluminOss Medical. "It's been a pleasure to work with Dr. Terek and his team and we commend Rhode Island Hospital on the first rate infrastructure and support staff it has in place to participate in trials and offer cutting-edge medical advancements to its patients."
IlluminOss is funded by Foundation Medical Partners, New Leaf Venture Partners, Tekla Capital Management, Life Sciences Partners, SR One, Longwood Fund, Excel Venture Management, Pappas Ventures, Mieza Capital and the Slater Technology Fund.
"IlluminOss is well positioned to have a revolutionary impact on the orthopedic device space and is a true testament to Rhode Island's innovation economy," said Richard Horan, managing director at the Slater Technology Fund. "IlluminOss has grown its staff, increased its facilities and is well on its way towards seeking approval from the FDA to offer its technology commercially in the U.S. It's a real Rhode Island success story and certainly a company to watch."
IlluminOss is currently enrolling patients at other U.S. surgical sites in the Lightfix clinical trial. For additional information about this trial please refer to www.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT 02338492.
About IlluminOss
IlluminOss Medical is a privately-held, commercial stage medical device company focused on designing, developing and marketing orthopedic fracture repair products that leverage its proprietary bone stabilization technology, the IlluminOss System. This minimally invasive technology allows for fracture fixation through patient specific intramedullary implants. The system utilizes a light-curable polymer, contained within an expandable balloon catheter, to achieve bone stabilization. The revolutionary procedure is made through a small percutaneous surgical approach providing patients and clinicians with a fast, patient-specific, method of orthopedic bone stabilization. The company currently markets its products in international countries under a CE Mark for approved clinical applications through both a direct sales force and distribution networks.
Learn more at www.illuminoss.com.
The IlluminOss products are Investigational Devices; limited by Federal law to Investigational Use and are not approved for sale in the USA.
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