Ascension Orthopedics Inc.
This article was originally published in Start Up
Executive Summary
Ascension Orthopedics Inc. is using pyrolytic carbon-based materials, the industry standard for heart valves, in a new way--as a material for silicone rubber spacers for small-joint-hand, upper extremity, and foot--repair. Unlike rubber spacers, which ease pain, pyrocarbon joint replacements can also support biomechanical loads and restore function.
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Ascension Orthopedics' Fate May Rest on the Shoulder
After more than a decade of crafting small bone orthopedic implants from its innovative PyroCarbon biomaterial, Ascension is hoping to reach its full potential by obtaining regulatory approval for a line of carbon shoulder replacement systems that might change the way the joint is treated.
Ascension Orthopedics' Fate May Rest on the Shoulder
After more than a decade of crafting small bone orthopedic implants from its innovative PyroCarbon biomaterial, Ascension is hoping to reach its full potential by obtaining regulatory approval for a line of carbon shoulder replacement systems that might change the way the joint is treated.
Orthopedic-Surgical Devices
Some medical devices can make it to the market quickly, usually in a small niche under the radar screen of large companies, and have a considerable impact. For others, there's a world of difference between getting to the market and conquering it: the difficulties of gaining market acceptance may dictate a "hurry up and wait" strategy or a slow, conservative, stepwise approach to marketing to a change-resistant medical community. The accompanying group of profiles of orthopedics/surgical device companies, whose products range from a platform for minimally invasive spine surgery with neurophysiological monitoring (NuVasive) to pyrocarbon-based small-joint replacements (Ascension Orthopedics) and superelastic memory shape alloys for anatomic braces (Springflex Orthopedics) to a soft tissue fixation system (Coapt Systems), reflects a range of commercialization strategies.