BACKGROUND
Surgeons who perform procedures that involve drilling into bone do so blindly. Although aided by x-rays and CT images taken beforehand, as the procedure progresses, they don't actually know the exact location of the drill tip in relation to adjacent nerves and blood vessels.
JetGuide has developed a core technology based on ultrasonic guided wave transmission through water. Its first application, JetGuide Dental, provides drill guidance during the drilling process during dental implantology. It uses an ultrasonic transducer to excite waves which are propogates through the jet stream built into the drill (for cooling bone and drill).
Penetrating from the tip of the drill to sensitive tissue within the bone structure, the ultrasonic waves are used to measure the distance of "safe" bone remaining in real time.
JetGuide Dental's advantages to dental and maxillofacial surgeons who perform or want to perform implant procedures --
- Guidance while drilling for higher safety margins and reduced time per patient
- Elimination of additional probes and instruments within the confined space of surgery
- Affordable pricing means many more dental practices can safely offer dental implants to their patients
- An easy-to-learn system that requires minimal training
The JetGuide Dental technology increases confidence and improves results. It is also affordable, so that more dental practices can safely offer dental implants to their patients.
JetGuide Ortho & Spine, the company's second application for its core ultrasound technology, is a drill guidance system for orthopedic and spine procedures. JetGuide Ortho & Spine tools will aid orthopedic and spine surgeons reduce complications and improve patient outcomes for spinal fusion procedures, hip and shoulder fractures, and complex fractures in the lower extremities.
MARKET
The company's devices target a real market need -- intraoperative drill guidance.
Millennium Research Group estimates that the dental implant market is growing by more than 15% annually. Currently about 300,000 dental implants are performed annually in the United States alone. JetGuide Dental will enable more dental surgeons to offer improved dental care to their patients. Additional opportunity is represented by the 15 million crowns and bridges currently used in the United States, often used as replacements for missing teeth that may be better served with dental implants.
The market for hip, shoulder, spine, pelvis, and lower extremity long-bone implants is estimated at $4.6 billion a year and projected to reach $7 billion in 2009 (Frost & Sullivan). In the United States, 270,000 to 500,000 procedures involving the spine are performed annually. A similar number of surgeries are performed on shoulder, hips and lower extremity long bones.
TECHNOLOGY
The JetGuide Dental system uses an ultrasonic transducer to excite waves, which are transmitted by the jet stream built into the drill (originally for cooling bone and the drill). Penetrating from the tip of the drilled bore to the sensitive tissue within the bone structure, the ultrasonic waves are used to measure the residual distance of the safe bone remaining, providing the surgeon with valuable information during the drilling process.
As orthopedic drills do not use water jet streams for cooling, as dental drills do, JetGuide will develop a dedicated device that produces a jet stream and will be incorporated into existing drills. The company’s R&D team is currently investigating methods for doing this in a manner that will not add cumbersome components to the drill or increase costs significantly.
TEAM
JetGuide is led by an expert, experienced team.
- Jacob Halevy-Politch, D.Sc., E.E., founder, is recognized around the world for his groundbreaking research in wave propagation. He has held senior positions at Rafael–Israel Armaments Development Authority, the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology, and in the Israel Air Force.
- Dan Adam, Ph.D., is a world-renowned specialist in medical ultrasonic instrumentation. He leads research in this field at the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology.
- Andrei Craft, D.D.S., has more than 20 years' experience as oral and maxillofacial surgeon. He specializes in dental implantology.
- Nahum Rosenberg, M.D., is a senior orthopedic surgeon at the Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.
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| Development Status
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JetGuide joined the MTC in late 2005. The company anticipates completing the prototype of the device and commencing testing of the prototype in 2006. They intend to receive FDA clearance and begin sales in the United States in 2009.
An R&D-focused company, JetGuide will enter into agreements with marketing partners to sell its devices. Appropriate candidates are medical equipment companies that manufacture dental or orthopedic drilling systems, drills or implants or cannulated screws. Alternatively, major suppliers of the disposables and peripheral devices accompanying drills and implants may also be suitable marketing partners.
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Medical Devices