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The LifeMOD(R) grant will help the scientific staff at InMotion createkinematic models that will aid in the development of tools allowing surgeonsto immediately test the fit of implanted devices such as knees, hips andspinal correction. Together, there were more than 900,000 such surgeries inthe U.S. last year.
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According to Dr. John Williams, director of biomechanics at InMotion andprofessor at the U of M Department of Biomedical Engineering, "This softwarecould be developed to give nearly real-time data on how the implant will movein the body under different conditions like walking, climbing stairs and evenplaying golf."
Williams, and Dr. William Mihalko, the non-profit orthopedic laboratory'sdirector of reconstructive research and orthopedic surgeon with the CampbellClinic in Memphis, will define data sets based on clinical evaluations of softtissues such as tendons and muscles surrounding the knee. Their work willsupplement LifeMOD's "virtual" measures of soft tissue characteristics withdata on actual, living tissue measured safely during surgery.
Surgeons normally must wait for post-operative recovery to evaluate indetail the full effectiveness of implant procedures. The potential forincreasing patient mobility is greatly enhanced if surgeons receive real-timedata during the procedure.
"The software doesn't make decisions for the surgeon, but it does givepotentially vital information to the surgeon to adjust the fit of the implantduring surgery," said Williams.
LifeModeler, Inc. has become the foremost provider of software used toperform "virtual prototyping," essentially evaluating new product concepts ina validated, computer model of a human body. While used extensively in theorthopedic joint replacement community, it is also applied regularly in theautomotive, aerospace, and sporting goods industries.
Shawn McGuan, CEO of LifeModeler, Inc., said the company is "continuallyseeking to find new ways for LifeMOD to be implemented in the medicalcommunity, and the research being done by InMotion will ultimately be asignificant benefit to hundreds of thousands of patients."
LifeModeler, Inc. can be contacted at 949-366-6829, and additionalinformation on the company and its products can be found athttp://www.lifemodeler.com. Information regarding InMotion MusculoskeletalInstitute can be obtained by calling 901-271-0022, or athttp://www.inmotionmemphis.org.
This release was issued on behalf of the above organization bySend2Press(R), a unit of Neotrope(R). http://www.Send2Press.com
SOURCE LifeModeler, Inc.
