Synerfuse
The spinal fusion hardware that Minneapolis-based Synerfuse recently implanted in two patients could mark a turning point in the treatment of lower back pain. If the device passes safety tests as expected, it could replace opioids as a treatment. “Opioids were never developed or intended for chronic pain,” says CEO Justin Zenanko. “They were intended for battlefields to address short-term pain.” The Synerfuse technology stimulates the DRG, a key nerve structure along the spine that can be targeted with neuromodulation to treat chronic neuropathic pain and spinal instability. “It’s never been done before in a clinical trial,” Zenanko says. Dr. Greg Molnar, the company’s chief scientific officer and primary inventor of the technology, previously served as director of neuromodulation research at Medtronic. Medical culture and technology is often slow to change, Molnar says, “but it’s worth doing because we can demonstrate how straightforward it is.”
