SpineConnect News

09/18/07

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SYNDICOM SPINECONNECT WEB PLATFORM CHOSEN FOR APPLIED SPINE'S LEG AND BACK PAIN CLINICAL TRIAL OF ITS STABILIMAX NZ® DYNAMIC SPINE STABILIZATION SYSTEM

Better collaboration and surgeon-to-surgeon communication leads to more accurate clinical trial results in Stabilimax NZ study

Durango, CO - September 18, 2007 - Syndicom, the premier developer of collaborative innovation networks, today announced that the company is providing its SpineConnect platform to facilitate a clinical study for Applied Spine’s Stabilimax NZ® Dynamic Spine Stabilization System. Stabilimax NZ is a medical device designed to provide stabilization of the lumbar spine in patients receiving decompression surgery for the treatment of spinal stenosis.

Today’s clinical trial landscape is littered with trials that fail to meet their planned timelines and patient accrual goals,” said Thomas E. Wood, CEO of Applied Spine. “What has really surprised us is how Syndicom’s technology has evolved like an ecosystem to support our changing needs during this clinical trial. I view it as a piece of soft clay that we can mold to fit our needs. The platform is flexible enough so that it can meet the expanding needs of our company.”

Prior to partnering with Syndicom, Applied Spine faced a challenge familiar to medical device companies conducting clinical trials: Because the participating investigators are spread out across the United States in 20 sites, efficient communication between the parties is problematic. Typically Principal Investigators (PIs) collected the patient data submitted by the surgeon investigators and met one to two times a year to go through the patient cases post-operatively -- a highly inefficient process. Now for the first time, investigators from around the world can review all the trial cases in an organized, easily accessible, and thoroughly documented way to identify problems earlier and take corrective action sooner, thus reducing overall trial costs.

Applied Spine and other leading medical device companies are under tremendous pressure to meet regulatory requirements, improve patient care, and reduce the time it takes to develop devices and take them to market,” noted Scott Capdevielle, CEO of Syndicom. “We’re pleased that Applied Spine is already achieving the benefits of online collaboration, and that they appreciate the value of unfettered communication to help meet these challenges.”

Using Syndicom’s platform, Applied Spine can run its clinical trial in a tightly controlled manner, which results in a higher quality study. That’s because Syndicom SpineConnect allows investigating surgeons to proactively identify cases that strictly adhere to the protocols, post comments to cases, and learn from each others’ experiences in a secure online environment.

“I love the technology, because it brings people from all over the world to the table to solve real-world problems in real time,” said Richard Guyer, M.D., co-founder and fellowship director of the Texas Back Institute and a principal investigator in the Applied Spine study. “We have essentially become problem solvers with the other investigators, because we communicate all the time. We no longer have to wait up to a year to discuss the cases. Now it’s instantaneous.”

 

About Applied Spine Technologies, Inc.

Applied Spine Technologies, Inc., headquartered in New Haven, Conn., is developing Stabilimax NZ®, a posterior dynamic stabilization device designed to support an injured or degenerated spine without eliminating motion. Stabilimax NZ is expected to offer numerous advantages over current spinal fixation products and even new artificial disc products—including a much less invasive and less traumatic implant procedure, maintenance of spine motion and disc function, and the potential to prevent or slow adjacent-level disc disease. For more information, visit www.appliedspine.com.

About Syndicom

Syndicom provides an array of Web-based tools that allow medical professionals, medical device manufacturers, and other professional communities to work together and solve problems in a timely, efficient and economical way. The company’s set of proprietary collaborative technology products fosters the discovery of new treatment plans, more effective surgical techniques, and life-saving medical devices. Syndicom’s advanced communication tools let physicians around the world share challenging patient cases and respond immediately to colleagues’ questions. At the same time, Syndicom’s innovative platform gives medical companies the ability to leverage and extend the knowledge and skills of physicians in the development of new medical technologies and devices. To learn more visit www.syndicom.com.