The Future of the Human Body

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The Arms: Most stroke victims never regain full control of their arms. Maybe bionics can help
The electronic arm

Stroke is the single leading cause of disability in the United States, affecting more than 780,000 people a year. Up to 75 percent of stroke survivors suffer from partial paralysis of an arm, and only 15 percent of those who receive rehabilitation regain full control of the limb. Steve Kelly, CEO of Myomo, in Charlestown, Massachusetts, believes that many of those survivors can benefit from his company's NeuroRobotics bionic arm. Based on technology developed at MIT, the device attaches like a brace to a patient's partially paralyzed arm. When it senses a twitching in the biceps or triceps -- the patient's intention to lift or straighten the arm -- it offers an electronic assist to help complete the motion. The idea is that repetition with the device reinforces the feedback loop between brain and body, helping a patient relearn how to move the affected muscles, even when the brace is off. Physical therapists have been using NeuroRobotics in clinics since 2008, and case studies have shown lasting improvement in stroke victims. Employing just eight people, Myomo has used less than $5 million to bring the FDA-approved device to market; Kelly, a veteran of several IT start-ups, calls it "the most capital-efficient project I've worked on." A pilot program is under way to realize Kelly's ultimate vision: a personal robotics device you can wear around the home as you perform daily activities. Target price: $5,000 or less. "Robotics engineers cringe when I say this, but this is the 21st-century wheelchair," Kelly says. "Except it takes you to a completely different place in terms of what people can do on their own. I think as health care reform takes place, the focus will increasingly include the ability to restore independence and mobility to people in their home. If you can do that with a noninvasive product like this, at the end of the day, you're going to spend a lot less money."

The Legs: Get ready for a new age of "tissue on demand," built in the lab
Organ-printing technology

Organovo is working at the cutting edge of regenerative medicine. The San Diego–based company is developing organ-printing technology that CEO Keith Murphy says will usher in a new age of "tissue on demand," built in the lab. Using droplets of "bio ink" made of cells taken from a patient's body, Organovo's bioprinter lays down a three-dimensional pattern that assembles itself into a new organ. The company is focusing first on building arteries to be used in bypass procedures -- initially for the legs, and eventually for the heart. Cardiac bypass procedures now use only so-called native blood vessels taken from another part of the patient's body. The vessels are sometimes damaged in the process, which makes the graft vulnerable to failure. Organovo's technology would give surgeons the advantage of starting with a "fresh" blood vessel that the body will still recognize as its own. The company is testing the technology as a replacement for the synthetic grafts now often used in leg bypass procedures, which must often be redone when they become clogged. But once Organovo can establish the technology in the leg, says Murphy, the company is looking to play a role in the 450,000 cardiac bypass surgeries performed in the U.S. annually. The company, whose co-founder and chief scientific officer, Gabor Forgacs, developed the technology with the backing of a $5 million National Science Foundation grant, is planning to begin animal studies at the University of Wisconsin this year.

The Knees: A system that allows surgeons to work 30 percent faster
A better artificial joint

Knees do so much for us. and though the benefits of physical activity are undeniable, the active life -- skiing, tennis, Ironman triathlons -- takes its toll. So it should come as no surprise that knee replacement -- surgically subbing in artificial parts for the entire knee or its component parts -- is big business. U.S. orthopedists perform about 500,000 knee replacements a year. About 70 percent of these are in people over 65, but younger patients with mild osteoarthritis are a growing market. It's these younger folks whom Burlington, Massachusetts–based ConforMIS is aiming for. Rather than replacing the entire knee, a procedure that is common in older patients, the ConforMIS system uses detailed imaging scans to create patient-specific implants that "resurface" the joint. And whereas similar systems require the orthopedist to painstakingly shape the patient's bone to fit a handful of available implant models, the ConforMIS system, which has been in use in the U.S. and Europe for about a year, fits the part to the knee. Surgeons using the ConforMIS system complete procedures in 30 percent less time. The company also holds patents for applying the technology to the hip, ankle, and spine. CEO Philipp Lang says the company is in a phase of "aggressive growth," building a sales force to tap into a potential $6 billion global market in knees alone. The pitch appears to have worked on investors. In July, ConforMIS announced it had raised nearly $50 million -- on top of $30 million raised over the past five years.

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A former editor at Real Simple, Adam Bluestein writes frequently about innovation and new technology. He lives with his wife and two children in Burlington, Vermont. @AdamBluestein