30-Year Johnson & Johnson Veteran Joins Conformis' Renowned Executive Team
John Slamin to Lead Engineering Efforts for Next-Generation Medical Device Company
Burlington, Mass.— November 6, 2007 —Conformis, Inc., a privately held company that develops and commercializes minimally invasive medical devices for the treatment of osteoarthritis and joint damage, announced today that industry veteran, John Slamin, has been appointed to the Conformis Executive team as Vice President of Implant Engineering for the Knee.
Prior to joining Conformis, Mr. Slamin spent over thirty years as a member of the Research and Development arm of Johnson & Johnson’s Orthopaedic Division, now DePuy, where he was responsible for the product development activities that led to the P.F.C. Total Knee System and later the Sigma Total Knee System.
“John brings an enormous amount of industry experience to the executive team and we look forward to his significant contributions to the Company,” said Patrick Hess, PhD, President & Chief Executive Officer of Conformis. “We believe this is an integral time for Conformis as we continue our mission to provide minimally invasive, patient-specific implants that significantly improve bone preservation and reduce procedure and recovery times.”
Mr. Slamin is a recipient of the Johnson Medal for outstanding Research and Development achievements and has lectured extensively both in the U.S. as well as internationally on total knee design, biomaterials and the future of knee replacement in a changing environment. He was also responsible for coordinating the design and development of the world’s first fully integrated and implantable electronic knee in collaboration with Clifford W. Colwell, MD of SCORE in LaJolla California . Mr. Slamin is a graduate of Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, Mass.
Mr. Slamin joins an established executive team that includes Patrick Hess, PhD, MBA, FACB President & Chief Executive Officer; Daniel Steines, MD, MS, Senior Vice President, Research & Development; Edward Ross, Jr., MBA, Senior Vice President, Commercial; S. Michael Sharp, PhD, FASLM, Senior Vice President, Regulatory and Clinical Affairs; and Jong Lee, MBA, Senior Vice President, Marketing.
“What attracted me most to Conformis is its unique platform technology that is truly redefining minimally invasive surgery and the concept of personalized medicine,” said Mr. Slamin. “I’m thrilled to be joining such an experienced and prominent team and I look forward to immediately contributing to the company’s continued growth in the marketplace.”
About Conformis, Inc.
Conformis, Inc. is a privately held company incorporated in 2004 that develops and commercializes medical devices for the treatment of osteoarthritis and joint damages. The Company’s novel and scaleable ‘image-to-implant’ process is comprised of two related technology platforms. iFit™ Technology enables the creation of conforming, patient-specific implants that are precisely sized and shaped to match the 3D topography of the patient’s anatomic bone surfaces. The iJig™ Instrumentation enables the creation of novel disposable instrumentation that radically simplifies and improves the surgical process.
Both platforms are supported by proprietary, intellectual property consisting of more than 100 issued, allowed and pending patents or patent applications that span imaging software, image processing, implant design, surgical techniques and instrumentation.
To date, Conformis has developed a comprehensive line of minimally traumatic, bone and cartilage-preserving knee implants and instrumentation designed to address all stages of osteoarthritis, the most common reason for knee replacement surgery. Each of these devices has been cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration for marketing in the U.S.