Medical Advisory Board of 3Spine Inc Welcomes a New Member

Pierce Nunley, MD was nominated to the company's Medical Advisory Board (MAB) by 3Spine, Inc., a medical device firm that specializes in creating a total joint replacement for the lumbar spine. The appointment was made at the ISASS meeting in the Bahamas, where Dr. Candice Kriese was named MAB president. Dr. Nunley has in the past served as the Director of the Spine Institute of Louisiana in Shreveport, LA, a Chairman of the American Board of Spine Surgery, and an Associate Professor at LSU. He has been the designated PI on more than 30 clinical research projects.

Dr. Nunley becomes the second member of the MAB, joining Dr. Domagoj Coric, MD, current ISASS President and national PI for 3Spine's real-world evidence fusion study, as well as Dr. Jeff Goldstein, MD, ISASS past President and national PI for BalancedBack's upcoming IDE study, Avinash Patwardhan, Ph.D., a biomechanics researcher at the University of California, San Diego, and Louis Nel and Robert Dunn of the South African College of Surgeons who have tracked BalancedBack patients since 2007. Drs. Nunley, Coric, Goldstein, Patwardhan, Nel, and Dunn will assist 3Spine in the next phase of clinical studies, education, and commercialization.

"I'm delighted to be a part of this ground-breaking crew," said Dr. Nunley. "3Spine's total joint replacement has the potential to transform the treatment of millions of individuals around the world. We have a long road ahead of us in order to bring this technology to market, but I can assure you that patients' request for lumbar motion is frequent enough to indicate the immense potential of this niche.”

"Pierce is a friend and a genuine technology pioneer," says Dr. Scott Hodges, co-founder and Medical Director of 3Spine. "He's one of the few surgeons I know who can look into the future and see change while also having a scientific, business, and teambuilding expertise to make it happen. There's a reason you see Pierce on so many jobs," says Niccolo, "and I am delighted that he is part of ours."

The Implant Invention of the Spectrum Spine Institute, the 3Spine MOTUS device, is a posterior-approach implant that replaces the disc and facet joints' function. The surgical procedure addresses leg pain, back pain, and spinal instability while also restoring posture and freedom of movement, and natural balance through the reconstruction of the functional spinal unit. The first MOTUS system was launched in South Africa in 2007 and granted a Breakthrough Device status by the FDA in 2020. Phase 1 clinical data were released. The US Phase II 3Spine clinical trial is still pending IDE clearance.

An Overview of 3Spine

3Spine is a healthcare business that was founded to vertically integrate the research, treatment, and distribution of total hip replacement. It is a privately held medical device company that develops and sells products for treating acute thoracic spine pain. The firm was founded in 2012 in Chattanooga, Tennessee (its headquarters), with research and development operations in the Greater Boston area and clinical operations on Grand Cayman Island.