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We attended the North American Spine Society (NASS) Annual Meeting, where we heard spine companies highlight new technologies and the clinical needs they aim to address.
My colleague, Mike Evers, previously wrote and spoke about the market drivers shaping the spine market, including the advancement of enabling technology, the shift of procedures from hospitals to ASC settings, adoption of minimally invasive and motion preservation procedures, and the overall need to decrease revision rates. Those market trends were reiterated and confirmed by nearly every company we encountered.
The large and mid-tier spine companies opted for a much smaller presence at NASS than in years past, and showcased little product. This dynamic allowed for small and startup spine companies to stand out on the exhibit hall floor. We plan to dive deeper into the technologies and strategies of specific companies in future articles. For now, here’s what we learned from some of those smaller companies during our trip to Denver.
Implant and Biologics Companies
We heard from companies focused on various aspects of spine surgery and market drivers. While most spine implants have become commoditized, there was more conversation this year about minimally invasive designs, surface technologies and improving the overall biomechanics of implants. Three companies stood out to us due to their innovative technology or strategic approach to the market.
Cerapedics received FDA premarket approval of PearlMatrix P-15 Peptide Enhanced Bone Graft and began treating patients with the Class III drug/device combination product earlier this year. PearlMatrix is indicated for single-level transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion in adult patients with degenerative disc disease and is claimed to be the first and only bone growth accelerator proven to accelerate lumbar fusion. While full results from Cerapedics’ ASPIRE study are expected to be published in the coming weeks, leadership noted that the study found patients achieved statistically superior fusion speed at 24 months, with more than twice as many patients fused at six months compared to local autograft.
Earlier this year, Demetra acquired GetSet Surgical and OrthoFundamentals, two companies focused on single-use, sterile-packed implants and instruments. The acquisitions led to the creation of Demetra Spine, which will be hyper-focused on the U.S. ASC market. Demetra also owns Tecres and Osartis and is working to build a complete spine portfolio, from biologics to implants. Leadership noted that its team has experience in interventional pain management and sees an opportunity to tap into those physicians who seek to perform spine procedures in ASCs.
Synergy Spine Solutions seeks to advance cervical artificial disc replacement. The company’s Synergy implant is reportedly the first disc to restore both alignment and balance while preserving natural physiologic motion in the spine. The disc’s design has titanium-on-polyethylene articulation with a unique mobile center of rotation. The polythene core also incorporates varying degrees of lordotic correction to preserve or reconstruct sagittal alignment. The Synergy Disc is available in multiple OUS markets, including Australia and Europe, and according to leadership, has been implanted more than 5,000 times with no device-related complications. The company is currently participating in two FDA-approved clinical trials that are fully enrolled.
Enabling Technology
Enabling technology is altering the competitive landscape in spine, allowing strategics to build ecosystems for data collection throughout the patient journey and ultimately capture market share. Smaller implant companies have responded by developing navigated instruments or partnering with open platform navigation and robotic systems. At NASS, Spine Wave promoted its partnership with eCential Robotics, and Captiva Spine highlighted its WatchTower Navigation System.
Notably, three startup robotic and navigation companies exhibited at NASS to collect feedback on their systems in development.
See All AI was founded by Eric Major, who previously led K2M, and Gene Gregerson, inventor of the O-Arm. The company is leveraging the more than 150,000 fluoroscopy units already in use worldwide. See All’s platform transforms standard 2D C-arm fluoroscopic images into navigable 3D models with 1mm cross-sectional slices, eliminating the need for preoperative CTs, MRIs, or other scans, as well as additional intraoperative imaging systems. The system requires no direct line of sight between the company’s proprietary visible light camera and the patient’s anatomy, providing surgeons with 3D visualization of the patient’s internal anatomy without the need to create an open exposure.
8i Robotics showcased updates to its system, which includes three robotic arms that work in concert. The arms feature an optical imaging head with an integrated digital microscope, as well as left and right surgical arms that enable a high torque screwdriver and ultrasonic bone cutting. 8i Robotics claims its next-generation robot will offer comprehensive surgical site coverage and extend beyond traditional pedicle screw placement. The company and Implanet are partnering to bring the robot to market in Europe. 8i Robotics was founded by Victor Yang, M.D., the inventor of 7D Surgical, which he sold to Orthofix.
Metamorphosis is developing navigation technology that does not rely on external trackers and reference bodies. Its system generates 3D navigation information from a single 2D X-ray image, which the company believes will enhance the reliability of the technology. Metamorphosis also demonstrated its autonomous robot for pedicle drilling and sought to satisfy surgeons’ appetite for robotic independence. The company says its overall goal is exploring how artificial intelligence, imaging and augmented reality can advance surgical navigation.
These are just six of the hundreds of companies we encountered at NASS. Click on the links for a more comprehensive list of announcement on new implants and enabling technology or a look at our analysis on the overall spine market.
We attended the North American Spine Society (NASS) Annual Meeting, where we heard spine companies highlight new technologies and the clinical needs they aim to address.
My colleague, Mike Evers, previously wrote and spoke about the market drivers shaping the spine market, including the advancement of enabling technology, the shift of...
We attended the North American Spine Society (NASS) Annual Meeting, where we heard spine companies highlight new technologies and the clinical needs they aim to address.
My colleague, Mike Evers, previously wrote and spoke about the market drivers shaping the spine market, including the advancement of enabling technology, the shift of procedures from hospitals to ASC settings, adoption of minimally invasive and motion preservation procedures, and the overall need to decrease revision rates. Those market trends were reiterated and confirmed by nearly every company we encountered.
The large and mid-tier spine companies opted for a much smaller presence at NASS than in years past, and showcased little product. This dynamic allowed for small and startup spine companies to stand out on the exhibit hall floor. We plan to dive deeper into the technologies and strategies of specific companies in future articles. For now, here’s what we learned from some of those smaller companies during our trip to Denver.
Implant and Biologics Companies
We heard from companies focused on various aspects of spine surgery and market drivers. While most spine implants have become commoditized, there was more conversation this year about minimally invasive designs, surface technologies and improving the overall biomechanics of implants. Three companies stood out to us due to their innovative technology or strategic approach to the market.
Cerapedics received FDA premarket approval of PearlMatrix P-15 Peptide Enhanced Bone Graft and began treating patients with the Class III drug/device combination product earlier this year. PearlMatrix is indicated for single-level transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion in adult patients with degenerative disc disease and is claimed to be the first and only bone growth accelerator proven to accelerate lumbar fusion. While full results from Cerapedics’ ASPIRE study are expected to be published in the coming weeks, leadership noted that the study found patients achieved statistically superior fusion speed at 24 months, with more than twice as many patients fused at six months compared to local autograft.
Earlier this year, Demetra acquired GetSet Surgical and OrthoFundamentals, two companies focused on single-use, sterile-packed implants and instruments. The acquisitions led to the creation of Demetra Spine, which will be hyper-focused on the U.S. ASC market. Demetra also owns Tecres and Osartis and is working to build a complete spine portfolio, from biologics to implants. Leadership noted that its team has experience in interventional pain management and sees an opportunity to tap into those physicians who seek to perform spine procedures in ASCs.
Synergy Spine Solutions seeks to advance cervical artificial disc replacement. The company’s Synergy implant is reportedly the first disc to restore both alignment and balance while preserving natural physiologic motion in the spine. The disc’s design has titanium-on-polyethylene articulation with a unique mobile center of rotation. The polythene core also incorporates varying degrees of lordotic correction to preserve or reconstruct sagittal alignment. The Synergy Disc is available in multiple OUS markets, including Australia and Europe, and according to leadership, has been implanted more than 5,000 times with no device-related complications. The company is currently participating in two FDA-approved clinical trials that are fully enrolled.
Enabling Technology
Enabling technology is altering the competitive landscape in spine, allowing strategics to build ecosystems for data collection throughout the patient journey and ultimately capture market share. Smaller implant companies have responded by developing navigated instruments or partnering with open platform navigation and robotic systems. At NASS, Spine Wave promoted its partnership with eCential Robotics, and Captiva Spine highlighted its WatchTower Navigation System.
Notably, three startup robotic and navigation companies exhibited at NASS to collect feedback on their systems in development.
See All AI was founded by Eric Major, who previously led K2M, and Gene Gregerson, inventor of the O-Arm. The company is leveraging the more than 150,000 fluoroscopy units already in use worldwide. See All’s platform transforms standard 2D C-arm fluoroscopic images into navigable 3D models with 1mm cross-sectional slices, eliminating the need for preoperative CTs, MRIs, or other scans, as well as additional intraoperative imaging systems. The system requires no direct line of sight between the company’s proprietary visible light camera and the patient’s anatomy, providing surgeons with 3D visualization of the patient’s internal anatomy without the need to create an open exposure.
8i Robotics showcased updates to its system, which includes three robotic arms that work in concert. The arms feature an optical imaging head with an integrated digital microscope, as well as left and right surgical arms that enable a high torque screwdriver and ultrasonic bone cutting. 8i Robotics claims its next-generation robot will offer comprehensive surgical site coverage and extend beyond traditional pedicle screw placement. The company and Implanet are partnering to bring the robot to market in Europe. 8i Robotics was founded by Victor Yang, M.D., the inventor of 7D Surgical, which he sold to Orthofix.
Metamorphosis is developing navigation technology that does not rely on external trackers and reference bodies. Its system generates 3D navigation information from a single 2D X-ray image, which the company believes will enhance the reliability of the technology. Metamorphosis also demonstrated its autonomous robot for pedicle drilling and sought to satisfy surgeons’ appetite for robotic independence. The company says its overall goal is exploring how artificial intelligence, imaging and augmented reality can advance surgical navigation.
These are just six of the hundreds of companies we encountered at NASS. Click on the links for a more comprehensive list of announcement on new implants and enabling technology or a look at our analysis on the overall spine market.
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Carolyn LaWell is ORTHOWORLD's Chief Content Officer. She joined ORTHOWORLD in 2012 to oversee its editorial and industry education. She previously served in editor roles at B2B magazines and newspapers.
