BME100 s2017:Group8 W8AM L1
 BME 100 Spring 2017
|
Home People Lab Write-Up 1 | Lab Write-Up 2 | Lab Write-Up 3 Lab Write-Up 4 | Lab Write-Up 5 | Lab Write-Up 6 Course Logistics For Instructors Photos Wiki Editing Help | ||||||
| |||||||
OUR TEAM
LAB 1 WRITE-UPHealth Care IssueThe anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a major ligament in the knee. The ACL, along with other ligaments, crosses in the middle of the knee and connects the femur to the tibia. Together, these ligaments are especially important in stabilizing knee joints. Our group will be focusing on surgery techniques for fixing ACL tears, specifically the creation and application of anchor to the bones to restore function and movement in the knee. [18] In the United States, more than 200,000 ACL injuries are reported, with approximately 100,000 surgeries conducted to fix the injuries. ACL injuries occur most commonly in people between the ages of 15-45 years old. This is because this age group is often more active and has a higher participation in sports than other age groups. [19] Currently, there are surgeries that use this method for patients with ACL injuries in the knee. However, the equipment being used, like the type of screw, have some complications. The screws themselves can cause strong discomfort, infections, and if the position of the screw is slightly off, then the patient will not regain function of the knee. Our group will be improving upon the current anchors and attempting to create better and more comfortable synthetic materials with osteoconductive properties for the screws and anchors. One idea is a silk-fiber matrix, as it is both suitable and durable for this kind of surgery. This specific protein matrix is able to help heal the injury and support the bone. A possible way to provide this silk would be through silkworms. [20]
Customer ValidationNFL Players - Around 70 professional players in the league suffer from a torn ACL each year. More specifically, Adrian Peterson had to “put in a lot of hours working hard, hard, non-stop to get back” in order to return [1]. The process is extremely tiring and requires an extended recovery time. With the new method of ACL repairs, NFL players are able to return to the field in a more efficient manner in a shorter amount in time, which is vital since these athletes constantly work throughout the entire year. NBA Players - Players take close to a year to recover from an ACL injury and that is crucial to an NBA player’s career [2]. Also, some players do not reach 100% mobility after the injury in the cases of Bernard King, Tim Hardaway, and Baron Davis. If they were offered a new way of ACL injury repair then the recovery time would me much less and the performance with the new product will be more effective. NHL Players - Through an experiment conducted in 2016, 47 players were identified as suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury somewhere between 2006 and 2010. The experiment concluded that after suffering an ACL injury, the player’s career was 2.8 years. Compared to the 4.4 years held by the control group, suffering from an anterior cruciate ligament sufficiently affects the career of a professional hockey athlete in the National Hockey League [3]. Developing an alternate approach to ACL repairs could lower the year gap between injured players and non-injured players. MLB - After sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury, MLB players who return the season after their surgery play in less games than normal. The most common mechanism of injury for ACL injuries in the Major League Baseball organization was fielding and base running. While most players are able to come back after a reconstruction surgery, they play 21.2% fewer games in the season following the surgery. Players who underwent ACL reconstruction surgery in their rear batting leg also experienced a 12.3% decrease in batting average [4]. A reconstructive approach that promotes faster and better healing will result in players returning quicker and will reduce the decline in games played and batting average. Soccer- When looking at ACL injuries in soccer, female players are more likely to sustain them compared to their male counterparts. A study done in 1999 showed that females land from a jump differently than males. Some of these differences are that women land on straighter legs than men, which directly stresses the ACL, and the hamstrings are significantly weaker than the quads, which makes women more susceptible to injury [5]. Like other professional athletes, injuries impact their health and performance. Whether it’s atrophy of the affected muscles or loss of fine skills needed for their position, long healing times can greatly affect their careers. Our improved anchors for ACL reconstruction surgeries will result in faster healing and more natural movement after healing is completed. College Sports - Many college athletes of all different sports are susceptible to ACL injuries. These players have hopes for one day entering the professional level and will do anything to get back to where they were. For example, University of Washington running back Deontae Cooper has been through three ACL injuries in his college career [9]. This type of injury brings down the value of each player in the eyes of NFL scouts. Therefore, a device or product that would reduce the recovery process for ACL injuries would be of interest to college sports because they are the step before the professionals. Regular People - Athletes on the college or professional level are not the only ones to are at risk for suffering ACL injuries. People of all ages can receive the injury from doing everyday activities or hobbies. Evan, a thirty-one year old suffered an ACL injury when he was skiing [10]. He quoted in the article, “Once you’ve damaged your ACL… you end up with even bigger long-term problems,” and this just shows that even people who do not have a career in professional sports and gravely impacted by the injury. It can hinder everyday movements and cause extreme discomfort. Talking to the average citizen about this injury and what our product can do is extremely important because they are possible customers just as much as everyone else. Johns Hopkins Medicine - This medical facility has orthopedic surgery as a specialty area and has a team of doctors and professionals who work with this type of injury. Contacting the hospital directly would help validate our device because there are experts in the field that can give us feedback and improvements on the designing process. Arizona Orthopedic and Surgical Specialty Hospital - Hospitals and medical centers that specialize in orthopedic surgery are more beneficial than any other hospital who treats more than one department. They are full of medical professionals who could review our product and design and see how it can be applied with the current solutions now. Tarek O Souryal, MD - Dr. Souryal is a medical professional who mainly works with sports medicine and knee/ACL surgeries. He works with Texas Sports Medicine and is also the head physician for a major sports team, the Dallas Mavericks. He states approximately 250,000 ACL injuries occur every year and the treatment for it is not an easy process. “It takes at least six months” [6]. Our product would be of interest to him because of his background and his status as a sports physician. Scott D. Martin, MD - Dr. Martin is a professor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in the orthopedic department [7]. He mainly deals with sports medicine injuries and focuses on joints within the body. He would be another source of validation because of his high status in this particular field and because of his experience with the ACL injury. Any product that would aid in this medical problem would be beneficial to professionals, such as Dr. Martin. Andrew John Cosgarea, MD - Dr. Cosgarea is a Professor of Orthopedic Surgery who has research interests in knee and shoulder rehabilitation [8]. He is also an expert in ACL/Meniscus reconstructions so his validation for the product would be essential. Rajwinder Singh Deu, MD - Dr. Deu is an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery. He has interests in joint pains and muscle strain injuries. Also, he prefers to work with athletes who suffer these types of injuries [8]. Sameer Dixit, MD - Dr. Dixit is another assistant professor and he has expertise in ankle, elbow, hip and knee injuries [8]. Although, his specialty may not be specific to ACL and knee, his knowledge of the other joints of the body is beneficial when validating the product. There may be insight that could aid in its production. R. Jay Lee, MD - Dr. Lee has expertise and interests in ACL tears with athletes [8]; therefore, his validation would be helpful because the main market for our product are athletes or anyone who is active and mobile. Knowing what works and what does not work would help. Miho Jean Tanaka, MD - She is the director of Women’s Sports Medicine Program and works with orthopedic surgeons [8]. She has interests in knee biomechanics and reconstruction. John Henry Wilckens, MD - Dr. Wilckens is a medical director for orthopedics at White Marsh and specializes in sports medicine [8]. With sports the main market for ACL injuries and surgeries, his expertise would validate our product. Physical Therapists - ATI Physical Therapy is a company that specializes in rehabilitation of the body due to certain injuries. Any physical therapy center would be a reliable source of validation because there is always a recovery process after the injury has occurred. Therefore, these professionals see the advantages and disadvantages of different types of solutions of ACL repairs. If we showed therapists what the advantages of our product, then they would be able to recommend it to their own customers. Army - Soldiers suffering from torn ACLs may have to take a medical leave or discharge. Hopefully, with our device, we can make the road to recovery cheaper, less painful and less time consuming enough so that injured soldiers can stay in the Army. Navy (Marine corps or equivalent)- The Marines also suffer from ACL injuries as much as the Army. The Navy and Airforce branches suffer less from ACL injuries than the Army and Marine Corps. Marketing should be to the whole military, but our main users would be the Army and Marine Corps.
CompetitorsMitek Sports Neoligaments SBM Teknimed
IP PositionMedicineLodge, Inc.; Patent No: 5,702,397 ; Dec. 30, 1997 Error creating thumbnail: File missing Wright Medical Technology, Inc.; Patent No.: US 7,250,550 B2 ; Jul. 31, 2007 Warsaw Orthopedic Inc; Patent No.: US 2003/0003160 A1; Jul. 31, 2007 Error creating thumbnail: File missing Prochon Biotech Ltd; Avner Yayon; Patent No.:US 2006/0147547 A1; Jul. 6, 2006 Teppo Järvinen; Patent No.:US 6,562,071 B2 ; May 13, 2003 Error creating thumbnail: File missing Allergan Inc.; Patent No.: US 20110008406A1 ; Jan. 13, 2011 Cayenne Medical Inc.; Patent No.: US 7651528B2 ; Jan 26 2010 Mark Pelo, Pamela Pelo, Pamela Plouhar, Herbert Schwartz, Prasanna Malaviya, Terrence Whalen; Patent No.:2003/0032961 A1 ; Feb. 13, 2003 Mark Siegel; Patent No.: US 20070055255 A1 ; March 8, 2007
Fundability Worksheet ScoresCompetitors Customer Validation IP Position Bibliography[1] Mihoces, Gary. "Adrian Peterson Leads Way in ACL Recovery in NFL." USA Today. Gannett Satellite Information Network, 07 Dec. 2012. Web. 25 Jan. 2017.
| |||||||
