Steven MacDonald, Frank Maas Join Hip Innovation Technology Leadership

Hip Innovation Technology LLC has welcomed two new members to its executive team.

The company has hired Steven MacDonald, M.D., as chief scientific officer and Frank Maas as chief operations officer (COO).

MacDonald is professor and JC Kennedy Chairman of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada. He is a member and leader of various orthopedic organizations including the North American Hip Society, the International Hip Society, and the North American Knee Society. MacDonald has served as president of the North American Knee Society and the Canadian Arthroplasty Society, and he has also received numerous honors for his orthopedic expertise and professional service, including the Frank Stinchfield Award from the Hip Society and the John Insall Award from the Knee Society.
 
MacDonald is an internationally recognized hip and knee replacement thought leader. He has received more than 25 research grants for hip and knee replacement projects totaling over $5 million. He has published more than 200 research papers and book chapters and has lectured at over 250 national and international meetings. “It is my pleasure to join the HIT team. I have observed the development of this technology from concept to bench testing and its ongoing international clinical study,” said MacDonald. “Each step builds on previous successes, culminating in a pivotal FDA IDE clinical study planned for initiation in 2022. HIT will continue to create an evidenced based platform for the Reverse HRS.” 

The Reverse HRS is a metal-on-polyethylene reverse geometry hip prosthesis designed to improve stability at extended ranges of motion and reduce the risk of dislocation. The Reverse HRS consists of a femoral stem, an acetabular cup and a cobalt-chrome ball that articulates within a polyethylene liner. Unlike existing total hip replacement systems, the ball is placed on a trunnion within the acetabular cup instead of the femoral stem, and the polyethylene liner is attached to a femoral cup, which then attaches to the femoral stem, as opposed to the polyethylene liner being attached to the acetabular cup. This technological difference does not change the center of rotation of the Reverse HRS and it remains similar to a normal physiological hip, or a well-positioned traditional total hip arthroplasty. The advanced Reverse HRS implant is designed to provide greater range of motion in all planes, enhanced hip stability, and to reduce the risk of dislocation. The Reverse HRS also provides variability of component placement, including higher abduction angles and anteversion of the acetabular cup. The femoral cup articulates around the acetabular ball and overlaps with the acetabular cup as the hip undergoes flexion-extension, abduction-adduction and internal-external rotation. This forgiving design may compensate for suboptimal component positioning which may provide benefits such as extended range of motion, hip stability and reduced likelihood of impingement. The Reverse HRS is designed to uncouple the relationship between component placement, wear and stability. This unique implant design of the Reverse HRS provides optimal surface area contact between the acetabular ball and femoral cup, which may eliminate edge loading. Elimination of edge loading may provide benefits that include reduced high-contact stresses, decreased implant wear and uniform wear, which minimizes generation of wear debris and associated concerns related to osteolysis.

Maas is a medical device executive with more than 30 years of orthopedic, spine, and arthroscopic experience. Maas was most recently a senior vice president at Arthrex Inc., a privately held, multi-billion dollar arthroscopic and orthopedic company. During his 16-year career at Arthrex, he was responsible for the engineering, R&D, regulatory, quality assurance and clinical affairs departments, where he helped lead Arthrex’s unprecedented growth through new product development and FDA/CE Mark regulatory clearance of hundreds of new arthroscopic and orthopedic systems. Prior to Arthrex, Maas spent five years as director of Regulatory and Clinical Affairs at DePuy Spine, a Johnson and Johnson company, where he was responsible for FDA approval of the first artificial spinal disc in the United States. Prior to DePuy, Maas worked for Howmedica/Stryker Orthopaedics for 10 years in both quality assurance and regulatory affairs positions.
 
“I am pleased to be a part of the HIT senior leadership team and look forward to collaborating with my colleagues, surgeons and regulatory authorities to ensure this exciting new technology becomes available for the many patients that may benefit from its novel design,” said Maas. “With so few orthopedic reconstruction innovations, securing an FDA-approved U.S. IDE clinical study further validates the potential benefits of this device.”

“Steve and Frank possess decades of professional success with medical device development, regulatory approval stewardship and market commercialization,” said George Diamantoni, HIT’s co-founder and CEO. “Their respective contributions to our pivotal study design and planned 2022 initiation of our Reverse Hip Replacement System (Reverse HRS) have been substantial and, their industry expertise will play a critical role in the continued growth of the company.”
 
Headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla., Hip Innovation Technology was formed in 2011 to provide orthopedic device solutions that advance the quality of life and quality of care for patients. In partnership with healthcare professionals worldwide, the firm identifies unmet clinical needs, then designs, manufactures, and markets orthopedic reconstructive and related surgical product solutions.