Mequon, Wis.-based Titan Spine, a medical device surface technology company focused on developing spinal interbody fusion implants, has named Jim Sevey as its new company’s senior nanotechnology specialist. The appointment follows the company’s receipt of 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market the Endoskeleton line of interbody fusion implants featuring its next generation Nanolock surface technology and precedes the company’s full commercialization of the new line, planned for the fourth quarter of this year. The Nanolock surface represents the only FDA-cleared nanotechnology for spinal implant applications, the company reports.

Sevey’s role will include leading the educational initiatives to further demonstrate and communicate the scientific evidence supporting the advantages of Titan Spine’s unique Nanolock surface technology. The surface features an increased amount of nano-scaled textures that result in the up-regulation of a greater amount of osteogenic and angiogenic growth factors critical for bone growth and fusion as compared to PEEK (polyetheretherketone) and the company’s current surface.

“As our body of science continues to grow, we identified the need to bring onboard someone of Jim’s caliber to educate the spinal surgeon community and our sales force on the science and associated benefits of our current and Nanolock proprietary surface technologies,” said Kevin Gemas, president of Titan Spine. “With more than 22 years of experience with medical devices and biomaterials, Jim is the right person to lead these efforts. One of Jim’s initial tasks will be to clearly differentiate the science of our nanotechnology platform from those that claim to have nanotechnology but have not been cleared by the FDA to do so. We are proud to add Jim to our ever-growing scientific team.”

“The spine industry is beginning to recognize ‘nanotechnology’ as more than a marketing concept and now as a design approach that has the potential to improve spinal fusion results for patients,” commented Barbara Boyan, Ph.D., dean of the School of Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University, and lead author of several studies supporting Titan Spine surfaces. “Titan Spine has been at the forefront of this charge for nearly a decade, conducting studies to evaluate and refine the benefits of nanotechnology for interbody fusions. I look forward to working closely with Jim to further these efforts.”

Before joining Titan Spine, Sevey held several positions at Synthes/Depuy Biomaterials, including most recently, manager, biomaterials technical specialist. In this role, he generated multidivisional sales of osteobiologic product lines by providing clinical and technical consulting, training, and education for surgeons, residents, operating room personnel, and sales consultants. Prior to Synthes/Depuy Biomaterials, Sevey was part of the founding team of Skeletal Kinetics LLC, (Cupertino, Calif.) as director of marketing. Sevey holds a bachelor of science in health science from St. Mary’s College of California in Moraga.

The full line of Endoskeleton devices features Titan Spine’s proprietary implant surface technology, consisting of a unique combination of roughened topographies at the macro, micro, and cellular levels. This combination of surface topographies is designed to create an optimal host-bone response and actively participate in the fusion process by promoting the up-regulation of osteogenic and angiogenic factors necessary for bone growth, encouraging natural production of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), down-regulating inflammatory factors, and creating the potential for a faster and more robust fusion.