The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded to OrthoCare Innovations, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, a competitive Phase I research grant toward developing a dynamically adjusting prosthetic socket system. The system will be designed to automatically adapt to fluctuations in the wearer’s physiological state and residual limb volume. David Boone, CP, MPH, PhD, OrthoCare chief technology officer, will serve as the principal investigator on the project. According to OrthoCare, the company’s research will build on findings in dynamic socket adjustability that it has already identified in preliminary investigations it conducted as part of its technology-transfer partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratories, Oak Ridge (ORNL), Tennessee, and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHUAPL), Laurel, Maryland.
“This award further strengthens OrthoCare’s substantial existing research portfolio and is consistent with our strategic focus of producing adaptive prosthetic systems,” said Doug McCormack, OrthoCare CEO. “Development of a dynamically adjusting patient-device interface offers tremendous potential to enhance clinical care, device functionality, patient outcomes, and quality of life through improved socket fit.”
The grant, which originated at the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research (NCMRR), a center within the National Institute of Child and Human Development at NIH, was offered through the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program.
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