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December 28, 2004 Purdue licenses paralysis prevention technology to Medtronic Sofamor DanekWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue Research Foundation has partnered with Memphis, Tenn.-based Medtronic Sofamor Danek to commercialize technology discovered at Purdue University that may someday prevent paralysis in humans with spinal cord injuries. A license agreement between the foundation's Office of Technology Commercialization and Medtronic Sofamor Danek, the spinal business of Medtronic Inc. (NYSE: MDT), grants the company exclusive commercial rights to patented technology from Purdue University that utilizes polyethylene glycol (PEG) to treat acute spinal cord injuries. In the United States, 250,000 people live with paralysis from spinal cord injury. The technology, developed by Purdue professor Richard Borgens and Riyi Shi, may not be limited to spinal injuries. "For future generations that may suffer spinal injury, brain trauma, peripheral nerve damage or stroke, this technology might someday mitigate the devastating effects of paralysis," said Richard Borgens, Mari Hulman George Professor of Applied Neuroscience and director of the Center for Paralysis Research in Purdue's School of Veterinary Medicine. The Purdue study, led by Borgens, has yielded encouraging preclinical results in dogs that were treated with both intravascular injections of PEG and conventional surgical intervention within the early, acute phase of their spinal cord injury. When administered within 72 hours of serious spinal injury, PEG was shown to prevent or reduce permanent spinal damage in most dogs. Lab tests revealed that, even when the spine was initially damaged to the point of paralysis, PEG prevented the nerve cells from rupturing irrevocably, enabling them to heal themselves. All of the dogs treated in this study were seen by participating veterinarians within three days of the onset of their injuries. The research, performed at Purdue and Texas A&M University, appears in the current (December 2004) edition of the Journal of Neurotrauma. "We have a longstanding focus on groundbreaking therapies for the treatment of spinal disorders. This technology has incredible potential to help patients who have few alternatives, so it is natural that we would support this pioneering research," said Michael DeMane, senior corporate vice president and president of Spinal, ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) and Surgical Navigation Technologies for Medtronic. Since the end of World War II, there have been no significant medical advancements in the field of spinal cord injuries that allow a patient to recover functions, Borgens said. "We believe that, by licensing this technology to a subsidiary of Medtronic Inc., the world's spinal technology leader, we have a good chance of making this potential treatment method an integral part of emergency care," said Joseph B. Hornett, senior vice president and treasurer of the Purdue Research Foundation. "If PEG is shown to do for human spines what it has done for canines', no first-responder kit or hospital emergency room in America will be without it." Medtronic Sofamor Danek, the global leader in today's spine market, partners with world-renowned surgeons and researchers to develop products and technologies that offer a range of solutions for neurological and spinal conditions. "The development of effective treatment for acute spinal cord injuries would be a major step forward in addressing this medical concern," DeMane said. "We hope our support can help advance research designed to yield new solutions." Established in 1930, the Purdue Research Foundation is a nonprofit corporation that is legally constituted to accept gifts, administer trusts, acquire property, negotiate research contracts and perform other services helpful to Purdue. As part of its $550 million in holdings, the foundation owns more than 130 properties including the Purdue Research Park, named best research park in the country in 2004 by its peers, the 120 members of the Association of University Research Parks. The park is home to the greatest number of technology companies in Indiana as well as the largest university-affiliated business incubator in the country. For more information about the research go online. Contacts: Jeanine Phipps, media relations, Purdue Research Foundation, (765) 423-2923 (home); (765) 494-0748 (office), jeanine@purdue.edu Patrick Hirigoyen, principal public relations manager, Medtronic Sofamor Danek, (901) 344-0614, patrick.r.hirigoyen@medtronic.com
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