Founded in 2016 in Portland, Oregon, Munro Medical now calls Christchurch, New Zealand its home. Our focus is building smart implants to improve clinical outcomes by developing wireless, battery-free implantable devices for use in the body.
Our first product is a wireless implantable sensor for monitoring the progress of bone healing after spinal fusion surgery. Currently, most spinal fusions are evaluated by x-ray imaging, but due to how bone grows and solidifies over time, x-ray imaging takes 4 months or longer to provide a definitive answer. This leaves patients on disability or with restrictions on their activities for much longer than necessary. Our “smart rod” product will reduce this period in half to a mere 8 weeks, while also providing feedback on issues that may delay or prevent fusion, allowing for immediate intervention.
Team
President
Dr. Deborah Munro has over 25 years of experience in mechanical and biomedical engineering.
She received her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of the Pacific, her master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University, and her doctorate in biological systems engineering from the University of California at Davis.
She began her career in industry working for NASA in the mechanical systems and controls branch before spending two years in Japan designing electrical connectors. She then moved to Utah where she designed and performed the FEA work for several robotic dinosaurs in the Universal Studios Hollywood Jurassic Park Ride.
Dr. Munro then gravitated to the orthopaedic medical device field and designed hip and knee total joint replacement systems and became knowledgeable about FDA and EU regulatory compliance. She continued to work in the orthopaedic medical device and biomechanics field for over a dozen years, designing implants and instruments and writing clinical literature reviews, meta-analyses, and patentability reviews.
Science Advisor and Co-inventor
Dr. Munish Gupta is the Mildred B. Simon Distinguished Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Washington University St. Louis and a co-inventor of this technology. He provides orthopaedic surgical advice and technical support to the team. He further provides his expertise, experience, and assistance with clinical trials.
Innovative design firm which provides implantable devices and external reader for animal and human clinical studies.