EAST PROVIDENCE – The first patient at Rhode Island Hospital has been successfully treated using groundbreaking technology for orthopedic fracture repair developed by IlluminOss Medical as part of the firm’s national clinical trial in the U.S., Robert Rabiner, president of IlluminOss Medical, told ConvergenceRI recently.

IlluminOss’ minimally invasive technology utilizes a light-curable polymer, contained within a balloon catheter, enabling surgeons to create a first-of-its-kind patient-conforming implant, which provides almost instant internal support of bones affected by cancer.

“We’ve already seen many successful results in the treatment of patients around the world but, as a Rhode Island-based company, there is something particularly gratifying to us personally about treating our first patient here,” said Rabiner, president of IlluminOss Medical, the commercial stage medical device firm headquartered in East Providence on Waterman Avenue.

The patient was under the care of Dr. Richard Terek, an attending orthopedic surgeon at Miriam and Rhode Island Hospitals and Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Providence VA Medical Center, according to Rabiner.

“IlluminOss’ technology fulfills an important market need for patients with metastatic bone disease,” said Terek, who specializes in adult reconstructive surgery and musculoskeletal oncology and is also an expert in the treatment of patients with osteogenic sarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, soft-tissue sarcoma, metastatic cancer, and benign bone and soft tissue tumors.

In cases of metastatic carcinoma, Terek continued, “The cancer often destroys so much of the bone that it is difficult to achieve stabilization with a conventional rod. IlluminOss provides a less invasive approach that makes more effective implants possible. We were very satisfied with the results and look forward to offering this treatment option to more of our patients.”

Rabiner praised the work of Terek and his team. “It’s been a pleasure to work with Dr. Terek and his team, and we commend Rhode Island Hospital on the first-rate infrastructure and support staff it has in place to participate in trials and offer cutting-edge medical advancements to its patients.”

A bright future
Terek’s surgery is part of a clinical trial underway with 80 planned patients; 16 patients have already been enrolled. The first three U.S. patients – two at Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, a third at Hackensack Medical Center in New Jersey – had successful surgeries performed earlier this year.

Other successful surgeries have been performed at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York, hospitals affiliated with Wake Forest and Duke universities, and University Medical of Pittsburgh, according to Rabiner. 

Other sites enrolled for surgeries as part of the U.S. clinical trial include North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo, Miss., Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, as well as hospitals affiliated with Emory and Ohio State universities, according to Rabiner. 

The next threshold for the company is to fully enroll the clinical trial and submit the data to the FDA, hopefully by the early part of next year, Rabiner continued. “Once we get [FDA] approval, we can start to bring this technology to the rest of the medical universe in the United States,” he told ConvergenceRI in an earlier interview.

“IlluminOss is the paradigm for the kind of company that can transform our innovation economy here in Rhode Island,” said Richard G. Horan, senior managing director at the Slater Technology Fund. “They have game-changing technology, a terrific team, well-heeled investors, and a significant commitment to basing and building their business in Rhode Island. It makes it all the more exciting to see our leading health care institutions introducing the technology into clinical practice.”

In Europe, the IlluminOss technology has been used in the treatment of more than 1,000 patients, where it is commercially available and has been in clinical use since 2010. The benefits observed have included smaller incisions, shorter procedure times, and more rapid post-procedure patient mobility with reduced hospital stays and lower complication rates, according to IlluminOss.

IlluminOss is funded by Foundation Medical Partners, New Leaf Venture Partners, Tekla Capital Management, Life Sciences Partners, SR One, Longwood Fund, Excel Venture Management, Pappas Ventures, Mieza Capital and the Slater Technology Fund.