For 12 years we have asked inventors, engineers, and the companies they work for to submit their best new technologies for judging by a group of senior spine and neurosurgeons. Nearly 500 innovative ideas and technologies have since landed on our desk. About a fourth reach the top ten ranking each year and therefore earn the designation of Best New Technology for Spine Surgery.
Past winners include: Ellipse Technologies for MAGEC (acquired by NuVasive), Pacira Pharmaceuticals for Exparel (public company), 7D Surgical, Cerapedics for i-FACTOR (the only PMA osteogenic bone graft not named InFuse), K2M for Cascadia (acquired by Stryker), Mazor for Mazor X (acquired by Medtronic), Medtech, SA for Rosa (acquired by Zimmer), RTI Surgical for TETRAfuse (Acquired by an EU Private Equity firm) and Simplify Medical.
Past winners also included a single professor, Cumbur Kilinger, M.D., from Trakya University in Turkey for his interlock double sacrum screw technology. And I’ll never forget when Biomet, not known as a center for spine innovation and before it was acquired by Zimmer, won for THREE different new technologies in 2012. A truly exceptional accomplishment. That particular R&D team no longer exists, having gone their separate ways, but one of this year’s winners was a member of that famous Biomet team.
Why does this Technology Award go so often to companies that become acquisition targets? The credit, I think, goes to the judges—who apply both their decades of experience and critical thinking to evaluating each submission. To win, the judges must award a technology high marks for:
- Creativity and innovation
- Staying power
- Clinical relevance
- The ability to improve standard of care
- Cost effectiveness
The final criteria each judge must assess, is would they, personally, consider using it?
Looking Into the Future of Spine Surgery
More so than past years, the 2020 winning technologies point, I think, to a new direction in spine innovation. This year’s winners incorporate artificial intelligence, machine learning, additive manufacturing, and notably innovative designs. Can these winning technologies ultimately deliver better, faster and, yes, cheaper solutions to spine surgeons?
Most of the past winners, which were either early in their commercial launch or even pre-launch, succeeded in capturing market share. And, more than a few, were ultimately acquired. So, yes, some of 2020’s winners will bring better, faster and cheaper solutions.
This year’s class of winner technologies, we think, are qualitatively unique from past winners. Therefore, for 2020, we decided to present the winners in a novel way.
Filming the Winning Inventors and Engineers for 2020
For the first time, we filmed each winning inventor/engineer team describing their technology. Hearing inventors describe their winning technologies in their own words adds, we think, more depth and understanding about each technology and the clinical problems they address. On November 19, in their own words, we will be presenting the winning Best Spine Technologies for 2020 at a magnificent GALA event (all digital).
Every spinal implant salesperson, engineer, R&D manager, surgeon, or executive should register for this private event.
The Gala is scheduled for two different times:
11am Eastern Time: Registration Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_r70UPnqESgG7WtDPGXHBGA
7pm Eastern Time: Registration Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HZmRo2fmT8WPLMC1MWQzsA
The Judges for 2020 Best Technology in Spine Awards
Finally, the credit for selecting these winning and interesting new technologies goes to the following judges:
Paul A. Anderson, M.D.
Dr. Paul Anderson is one of the leading experts in spinal trauma and complex cervical spine disorder. Over his nearly 40-year career, Dr. Anderson has trained hundreds of spine and neurosurgeons as the (now retired) professor of orthopedics and rehabilitation at the University of Wisconsin School of Public Health and Medicine. He is the author of numerous book chapters, papers, and research studies. His primary areas of research include spinal fixation implants and the development of an artificial cervical disc and basic research in disc regeneration.
Jeffrey A. Goldstein, M.D.
Chief of the Spine Service and an orthopedic spine surgeon at NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital. Dr. Goldstein is a nationally and internationally expert in minimally invasive spine surgery, robotic spine surgery, and artificial disc replacement. He is also a clinical professor of orthopedic surgery and neurosurgery at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and director of NYU’s spine fellowship program. Dr. Goldstein has authored numerous book chapters, articles and clinical studies that have been published nationally and internationally. Dr. Goldstein won the Leon L. Wiltse “Best Paper” award at the annual meeting of the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery. Dr. Goldstein serves on the editorial and advisory boards of numerous peer-review spine journals. Finally, he is the past president, treasurer, and board member of the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery.
Jeffrey L. Gum, M.D.
Dr. Gum is an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Louisville Department of Orthopedics (gratis). He currently teaches spine surgery to medical students, orthopedic residents, fellows and to other surgeons at national and international meetings. He specializes in adult and pediatric spine deformity surgery (scoliosis, kyphosis, revision surgery) and Robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery. Although he performs very complex procedures, he also does all types of cervical and lumbar degenerative procedures. Additionally, he performs cervical disc arthroplasty (artificial disc) procedures and minimally invasive lumbar discectomies. Dr. Gum is involved in extensive research focusing on adult spinal deformity, robotic-assisted spine surgery and the economics of spine care. He participates in national and international research collaborative groups in all of these areas. Dr. Gum has received numerous awards and, in 2019, was honored as one of the North American Spine Society’s 20 under 40.
Mark Reiley, M.D.
Mark Reiley is a retired orthopedic surgeon and one of the most prolifically innovative people in the business of spine surgery. He is best known for three medical inventions. Kyphoplasty, a procedure that treats the pain and deformity caused by osteoporotic spine fracture in the elderly. The iFuse fusion rods for a minimally invasive surgical fusion of the Sacro-Iliac joint. The third is the In-Bone Total Ankle, still used in essentially the same form as when invented twelve years ago.
Dr. Reiley also founded seven orthopedic device companies, two of which went to public with IPO’s and two were sold/acquired by medium-to-large medical companies. His medical inventions have helped thousands of patients to relieve from their pains (i.e., lower back pain) and improved quality of life.
In addition to being a surgeon, Dr. Reiley has received over 450 medical device patents.
Kern Singh, M.D.
Dr. Kern Singh is an internationally renowned surgeon and expert in the area of minimally invasive spinal surgery. He frequently teaches minimally invasive techniques to neurosurgeons and spinal surgeons from around the world and most recently was an invited guest lecturer to Saudi Arabia. He is also extensively involved in designing new minimally invasive spinal instrumentation for cutting-edge spinal surgery. He is one of the few surgeons in the United States performing Endoscopic Spine Surgery. Dr. Singh is an award-winning researcher and has published more than 200 publications, presentations and book chapters. He won Best Paper at the North American Spine Society (NASS) and Society of Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery (SMISS) International Meetings in 2013. He is a principal researcher in several FDA clinical trials involving cervical disc replacements and motion-preserving spinal technology.
Dr. Singh was also appointed to serve as the chair of the Spine Program Committee for the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Annual Meeting from 2017-2020.
Hansen A. Yuan, M.D.
Dr. Hansen A. Yuan, truly the dean of modern spine surgery throughout the world, is the retired Professor of Orthopaedic and Neurological Surgery at the State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University. He has held hospital appointments at SUNY Upstate Medical Center, Crouse-Irving Memorial Hospital and Veterans Administration Hospital.
Dr. Yuan earned his medical degree from the University of Michigan Medical School. His surgery Internship and Orthopaedic Surgery Residency were at the State University of New York, Upstate Medical Center. Dr. Yuan was in a post-graduate Fellowship with Dr. Leon Wiltse specializing on low back and cervical pain. During his medical studies and fellowships, Dr. Yuan served in the United States Army for a total of six years.
Dr. Yuan holds membership in many professional societies a few of which include: the American Medical Association, Orthopaedic Research Society, American Academy of Orthopaedic Research Society, American College of Surgeons, International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine, Past President of The North American Spine Society and the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery. Many of these societies have honored Dr. Yuan’s research and writing with grants and research awards.
Dr. Yuan has authored over 100 articles and many abstracts published in peer-reviewed journals. He has been a contributing author of 16 chapters to medical books. In North America and Asia, universities and hospitals invite Dr. Yuan as a visiting professor. Many times, he has been a Presidential Guest to the Republic of China speaking on orthopedic surgery.
