Surface technologies play an integral role in the success of joint replacement implants. Orthopedic device companies continue to meet this demand and are launching devices with new and improved coatings with greater biological acceptance. These materials and coatings range from high-performing alternatives to CoCr Alloy to reducing bacterial attachment in knee and hip implants. In this session, orthopedic companies, including Total Joint Orthopedics and Zimmer Biomet, discuss R&D efforts in implant coating and market forces driving new coatings and materials. Further, valuable insights on testing and regulatory pathways are provided by BioVera.
Robert (Bob) Poggie, Ph.D., is President of BioVera, a firm focused on regulatory and technical consulting for companies commercializing new biomaterials and orthopedic devices. Dr. Poggie founded the company in 2008 after decades of experience working in orthopedic companies. He was the Director of Global Brand Management for Zimmer Trabecular Metal Technology. Dr. Poggie also held roles as Director of Applied Research for Implex Corp. and Senior Research Engineer for Smith & Nephew. Dr. Poggie has published numerous peer-reviewed papers and presented globally as invited faculty at numerous medical conferences and education courses. He holds a BE in Mechanical Engineering and MS and Ph.D. in Materials Science & Engineering from Vanderbilt University.
Chris Weaber is the Director of Research and Development with Total Joint Orthopedics (TJO), where he is responsible for the development of strategies and management of new product testing and regulatory filings. Mr. Weaber has over 11 years of successful orthopedic development and 510(k) submissions for new products, including new material technologies and first in the U.S. designs cleared for the U.S. market. Mr. Weaber has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rutgers University, with over 25 years of multi-discipline engineering and product development experience including capital equipment engineering, materials technology development and medical device development. He is an active member of the ASTM materials and arthroplasty sub-committees, a listed inventor on U.S. and international patents, and an author for SPIE and ISTA publications.
Trey Rodgers, Ph.D., is Research Principal II at Zimmer Biomet, who possesses an extensive background in orthopedic biomaterials research. After finishing his Ph.D. at Colorado State University, he joined Biomet in 2013, later Zimmer Biomet, and has happily spent his time helping a broad range of global business units to evaluate, develop, remediate, submit and market platform material and process technologies. This has included drug-eluting coatings, polymer bearing surfaces and composites, bone ingrowth materials, resorbables and a variety of additive manufacturing processes.
