PITTSBURGH, March 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Doros Platika, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of The Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse (PLSG), the private/public partnership putting the region’s life sciences industry on a fast track for growth, today announced that PLSG has invested $100,000 in BlueBelt Technologies, a Pittsburgh-based firm working to commercialize a hand-held tool to accurately cut bone in joint replacement surgery and other bone repair procedures. The investment is provided under the PLSG’s Technology Development Fund (TDF) program.
BlueBelt was formed in 2003 to develop devices in computer-assisted surgery and diagnosis and is the exclusive licensee of the patented Precision Freehand Sculptor (PFS) technology. The PFS is an intelligent bone cutting tool which senses the location of tissue to be removed according to a surgical plan. The “smart” device will stop cutting depending on its location and proximity to healthy bone. Initial applications are centered on joint replacement surgery, where a specific shape must be cut in bone in order to fit with a prosthetic implant. The PFS can machine any required shape accurately - all through a small incision.
BlueBelt has also continued development of Image Overlay, a 3-D display device used to merge virtual images with the real world. Image Overlay is a generic display technique which spatially aligns virtual 3D images with the user’s view of a real scene. In arthroscopic surgery, for example, Image Overlay can allow the surgeon to visualize his tools and the patient’s bones inside the skin. Image Overlay essentially gives the surgeon “X-ray” vision. Image Overlay is designed to be easily moved in and out of the operative field.
“The technologies being developed at BlueBelt will enable surgeons to operate with more precision and efficiency, improving outcomes and enhancing patient recovery,” said Craig Markovitz, BlueBelt CEO.
BlueBelt is just one recent example of a series of promising new life sciences ventures born on the campus of Carnegie Mellon University.
About the Technology Development Fund (TDF)
The Technology Development Fund is a competitive funding program designed to increase the commercialization potential of life science technologies developed by the region’s scientists and entrepreneurs. The intent is to provide financial support to verify the technical and commercial feasibility of early stage inventions that will accelerate and increase the likelihood that the technology will be successfully commercialized through a regional start-up company. These funds can be used in conjunction with or to leverage other early sources of funding.
About the PLSG
The Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse is a public/private partnership, founded by the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, UPMC Health System, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and its regional foundation community. Together with private industry and advanced research and healthcare capabilities of our institutional partners, PLSG invests in and supports the growth of regional life sciences companies in the areas of: bioinformatics; bionanotechnology; diagnostics; medical devices; medical robotics; therapeutics; and tools and services.
Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse
CONTACT: Tim O’Brien, O’Brien Communications, +1-412-854-8845, forPittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse; or Lynn Banaszak Brusco, PittsburghLife Sciences Greenhouse, +1-412-770-1353
Web site: http://www.plsg.com/
