Smart Disk's spinal innovation provides economic backbone for new start-up

metromode, 7/31/2008

Approximately 80 percent of the U.S. population has a health-realted issue associated with the back, according to James Gerchow and Terry Fiscus. That's why they founded Smart Disk in Allen Park.

The 4-year-old firm designs and prototypes medical products, specifically cervical plates and disks for people's backs.

One of Smart Disk's lead products has significant promise because it can be inserted dorsally (from the back), instead of ventrally (through the front). This is important because the procedure is less invasive to patients and only requires one surgeon instead of two.

The firm hopes to begin testing the product and procedure to insert it on cadavers in September. After those tests it plans to push for final approval and then commercialization.

Smart Disk is also working on a line of replacement discs and spinal products that can be inserted through the posterior.

Source: James Gerchow and Terry Fiscus, chief development officer and chief financial officer of Smart Disk
Writer: Jon Zemke

Healthcare , Research , Wayne County