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Negatively charged, hydrophilic ceramic Zeolite as shown under SEM

TRANSFORMING THE WAY WE LOOK AT BIOMATERIALS

By definition, biomaterials are foreign bodies. Historically, their design has largely been based upon mechanical and physical properties, and bioinertness was a desirable characteristic. Today, as the adaptability of immune cells and the role that biomaterials play on immune-mediated tissue responses becomes better understood, there is a shift towards designing materials that can proactively modulate the immune system.

Located in Austin Texas, DiFusion was founded in 2009 and has been dedicated to engineering and bringing to market a suite of patented immunomodulatory, tissue regenerating and antimicrobial polymers. DiFusion has assembled a team of leading clinical and research experts on their scientific advisory board:

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Robin Young from Orthopedics This Month presents Sriram Sankar, MS Joe Crudden Ph.D., and Derrick Johns CEO of DiFusion with the Innovator of the Year Award at the North American Society Meeting in Los Angeles.

SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY

Stephen F. Badylak, DVM, PhD, MD

Deputy Director of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh

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Boyle Cheng, PhD

The Singer Institute at Alleghany Medical

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Peter Whang, MD

Professor of Orthopedics Yale Medical School

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Paul Kraemer, MD

Indiana Spine Group

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Nitin Bhatia, MD

Chief of Spine UC Irvine

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Peter Whang, MD

Professor of Orthopedics Yale Medical School

Dr. Whang is an Associate Professor in the Yale Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation. He received his undergraduate degree in biochemistry from Harvard University and his medical degree from the Duke University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in orthopaedic surgery at the University of California, Los Angeles and received specialized fellowship training in orthopaedic and neurosurgical spinal surgery at the Rothman Institute at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA

Dr. Whang is actively involved in clinical and basic science research with a focus on the biology of spinal fusion and bone healing, bone grafting substitutes, and evidence-based medicine. He continues to present the results of his studies at a number of national and international meetings. He is also involved in the development of new spinal implants and techniques. At this time he is currently an investigator for various clinical trials. Dr. Whang is on the editorial staff of several publications and serves on multiple committees for the National Association of Spine Surgeons (NASS). In addition to his research pursuits, Dr. Whang devotes much of his time to the teaching of residents and medical students in the Yale School of Medicine.

Paul Kraemer, MD

Indiana Spine Group

Dr. Kraemer is a native of Iowa. He was educated at Cornell University in New York, The University of Iowa Medical School, and the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Orthopaedic Surgery residency program. He then spent an additional year at Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center/ the University of Washington in a combined orthopaedic and neurosurgical Spine Surgery fellowship. Harborview is a referral center for 4 states and a quarter of the square mileage of the United States, where Dr. Kraemer was trained in the most complex spine surgery for the most difficult problems.

Dr. Kraemer is a partner in Indiana Spine Group, and practices at Community Hospital, Riverview Hospital, and Indiana University Hospitals, where he serves as assistant professor of Orthopaedic Surgery fellowship director for the spine surgery fellowship, and actively involved in research , resident education, and cross-specialty education of practicing physicians. He has presented research and taught courses nationally at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, and the North American Spine Society, as well as speaking locally on complex spine and diagnostic challenges to the IU departments of medicine, orthopaedics, and neurosurgery.

Nitin Bhatia, MD

Chief of Spine UC Irvine

Dr. Bhatia was selected as one of the top twenty notable spine surgeons in America who has focused his care on spinal trauma cases. Dr. Bhatia graduated cum laude from Stanford and was valedictorian for his class at Baylor Medical School.

Dr. Bhatia serves as chief of the spine service and associate professor of clinical orthopaedics at UC Irvine as well as co-director of the UC Irvine Spine Center and residency program director. He has a professional interest in spine trauma, as well as spinal stenosis, disc herniations, scoliosis and complex cervical and lumbar reconstruction. He performs percutaneous fusions, X-Stop lumbar stenosis treatment and kyphoplasty and has an active interest in research.

Dr. Bhatia authored the preemininet research about post operative surgical infection in the Spine Journal of the Rothman Institute.

Boyle Cheng, MD

The Singer Institute at Alleghany Medical

Boyle C. Cheng, PhD, holds an appointment at the rank of full professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at Drexel University – Allegheny General Hospital. He is the Director of Research for the Neuroscience Institute at Allegheny Health Network. Dr. Cheng also maintains an adjunct appointment in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University by serving as an advisor to graduate students in the practicum course and teaching the Medical Devices class. He joined the System from the University of Pittsburgh, where he served as faculty assistant professor for the Departments of Neurological Surgery and Biomedical Engineering.

Dr. Cheng is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Lumbar Spine Research Society, the Orthopedic Research Society and the Spine Arthroplasty Society, among other professional societies. He also serves on the editorial board of The Spine Journal, SAS Journal and as a peer reviewer for several professional publications, including Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, Journal of Medical Devices and Annals of Biomedical Engineering, to name a few.

Stephen F. Badylak, DVM, PhD, MD

Deputy Director of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Stephen Badylak is a Professor in the Department of Surgery, and Deputy Director of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. He has practiced both veterinary and human medicine and is now fully engaged in research.

Dr. Badylak’s seminal work has shown that extracellular matrix (ECM) can be isolated from mammalian tissues and then used as a therapeutic inductive platform for functional tissue reconstruction. This work has resulted in more than 65 issued US patents, 300 patents worldwide, more than 385 peer review publications, and 50 book chapters. His discoveries played a pivotal role in the genesis of the biologics-based biomedical industry in the 1990’s. There are now more than 60 companies and more than 100 FDA approved ECM based products that are used in almost every body system. More than 10 million patients to date have benefited from the implantation of these materials to treat problems such as ventral hernia, volumetric muscle loss, esophageal cancer, and post myocardial infarction heart failure.

Dr. Badylak received his veterinary degree and his doctoral degree in anatomic pathology from Purdue University, and received his medical degree from Indiana University Medical School. He is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, a member of the Society for Biomaterials, and a charter member and past president of the Tissue Engineering Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS).

DiFUSION Technologies, Inc. is located just north of the Heart of Texas in the great city of Austin.

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