Medicrea Acquires 3 Patents to Boost 3D-Printed Titanium Interbody Device Surgical Planning

The Medicrea Group, pioneering the convergence of healthcare IT and next-generation, outcome-centered device design and manufacturing with UNiD Adaptive Spine Intelligence (ASI) technology, announced the company has acquired three patents from Dr. Paul McAfee, of University of Maryland St. Joseph’s Medical Center. These patents cover the methodology used to measure and plan interbody devices used in spinal surgery.
 
The three patents acquired from Dr. McAfee protect the associated intellectual property around a novel technique for physiologically selecting interbody device height based on patient anatomy to further enhance Medicrea’s UNiD ASI platform.
 
Dr. McAfee stated, “Medicrea is uniquely positioned to benefit from this intellectual property to enhance their industry-leading surgical planning service. Surgeons understand that the effective use of interbody devices plays an important role in determining outcomes for spinal patients and spend significant time intra-operatively testing for the ‘best-fitting’ interbody device based on a limited range of dimensions provided by legacy manufacturers. However, this current technique often leads to compromise between two available interbody dimensions and lacks scientific rationale. Knowing the level of inventory required to deliver a range meeting patient needs in every case is cost-prohibitive for even the largest legacy manufacturers. There is a clear demand for the reliable planning tools and services available with UNiD ASI.”
 
Medicrea’s systems-based approach to spine with engineering services and in-house 3D-Printing capabilities makes the Company uniquely able to deeply collaborate with surgeons to create interbody device solutions that are adapted to their clinical and mechanical preferences, as demonstrated by the recent FDA clearance of the Company’s IB3D offering of 3D-printed Titanium interbody devices with AdapTEK, surgeon-adaptive technology for unparalleled control of the implant design and dimensions provided.
 
Denys Sournac, president and CEO, stated, “We are focused on fully integrating the important work done by Dr. McAfee into our proprietary UNiD HUB surgical planning software. Combining data-driven planning techniques with the ability to deliver personalized implants will significantly reduce the inventory required for each case while ensuring the optimal implant is provided for the patient at each level operated. Acquiring new planning methodologies, as we have done with Dr. McAfee, will allow Medicrea to further provide healthcare shareholders with scientific evidence supporting the surgical strategy and promoting a cost-effective care continuum in line with our Adaptive Spine Intelligence technology.”