Zimmer, University Partners Granted Indiana 21st Century Research and Technology Funding R&D project to focus on improved spine treatments
WARSAW, IND (March 23, 2001)- A research project to develop innovative approaches for repairing and strengthening the human spine will be funded in part by the State of Indiana's 21st Century Research and Technology Fund. Zimmer, a manufacturer of orthopaedic products for worldwide markets, the University of Notre Dame, Indiana University, and Purdue University will collaborate on the project.
The 21st Century Fund was created in 1999 to stimulate research and development investments within the state and to help build long-term research partnerships between Indiana universities and high technology, private sector companies. Zimmer and its university partners received support for two other research projects in 2000.
"We are pleased to match the state's investment in these projects with our own research and development resources," said Zimmer President Ray Elliott. "This not only keeps R&D activity in the state of Indiana, but creates leverage for the state's investment by channeling more than $4 million in Zimmer funds into the projects. And we're creating the potential for future jobs and revenues that might not have existed were it not for the 21st Century Fund."
In the new research project, Zimmer and its partners will develop three new implant technologies for the repair and strengthening of the human spine. Each technique relies on new materials, manufacturing methods and implant technology. The techniques focus on spinal fixation to achieve fusion between vertebrae combined with minimally invasive approaches to strengthen the spinal column.
The research effort will be carried out at each of the three major Indiana research universities and at Zimmer. Zimmer will provide more than $2.2 million in funding for the research efforts, with the 21st Century Fund contributing nearly $2 million.
In the first project, funded in 2000, Zimmer researchers and partners at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Purdue University in West Lafayette and Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis are developing a new surgical technique and materials that could make orthopaedic trauma and fracture treatments significantly less invasive compared to current practices. The second grant involves a partnership with Notre Dame to explore the potential of a process called combustion synthesis for the enhanced discovery of metal alloys for orthopaedic applications.
"On our first 21st Century projects, the collaboration between Zimmer and the universities has been outstanding," said Roy Crowninshield, Zimmer Chief Scientific Officer. "We hold project meetings every quarter and they are very productive. In addition, we are coordinating project activities on almost a daily basis with our university partners. I think the way our projects have unfolded is precisely what the legislature envisioned."
Zimmer designs, manufactures, and distributes orthopaedic implants and related equipment and supplies. The company provides a broad range of joint replacement, fracture management and patient care products. Founded in 1927, Zimmer became a member of the Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY) family of companies in 1972.
