InMotion will give a leg up in musculoskeletal research

By Robert A.Compton | Special to the Commercial Appeal | Sunday, September 24, 2006

mus-cu-lo-skel-e-tal adj. Relating to or involving muscles and the skeleton

Few Memphians may be familiar with the medical term musculoskeletal, but for our city it could spell job creation and economic growth for decades to come.

Medical procedures such as hip replacement, knee arthroscopy or spine surgery require the use of sophisticated medical devices that are the products of an industry that pays well, offers excellent benefits and is growing rapidly as the Baby Boom generation ages. The invention, manufacture and distribution of these devices create economic opportunity, ranging from entry-level jobs to executive positions.

Memphis is already the world's second largest producer of such medical devices, which include artificial joints for knees, hips and now the spine. Three large local companies - Medtronic Sofamor Danek, Smith & Nephew, and Wright Medical - along with a dozen smaller companies garner over 15 percent of the industry's $20 billion in annual worldwide sales. Only Warsaw, Ind., with roughly 20 percent market share, has a greater concentration of companies in the field.

Memphis is the better positioned, however, to become the world leader in this enormous and growing industry thanks to years of behind-the-scenes efforts led by the Memphis BioWorks Foundation and supported by local philanthropies, industry, medical professionals, academia and government. Those efforts have built on the strengths we already possess:

Entrepreneurs. Memphis has always been a great city for entrepreneurs, people like Abe Plough, Fred Smith, Pitt Hyde and Kemmons Wilson. We've been fortunate to have entrepreneurs in the medical device field as well, who have created companies such as Medtronic Sofamor Danek, Smith & Nephew, and Wright Medical, which today employ nearly 4,000 Memphians.

Pioneering physicians. Memphis boasts one of the world's foremost orthopedic clinics - the Campbell Clinic - founded by Dr. Willis C. Campbell in 1909. Campbell wrote the first textbook on orthopedic surgery and co-founded the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, now with almost 28,000 members. Memphis also has one of the top neurosurgery practices in the world with the Semmes-Murphey Neurologic & Spine Institute. That clinic's pioneering spine surgeons have invented some of the largest selling medical devices in the industry.

Medical education. Memphis is home to the Medical Education and Research Institute (MERI), a nonprofit facility with state-of-the-art operating rooms for training physicians on the latest surgical implants. Doctors from around the globe travel to Memphis to train at MERI.

Distribution. It is likely not well known that having FedEx headquartered in Memphis gives local medical companies a significant competitive edge. FedEx allows local companies to make emergency shipments of lifesaving devices as late as 1 a.m. for overnight delivery to operating rooms anywhere in the United States.

Venture capital. With more than $70 million in capital, locally based MB Venture Partners is the only venture capital firm in the world dedicated to financing entrepreneurs who create new musculoskeletal companies.

As the key elements of the musculoskeletal industry cluster have emerged, only one piece of the puzzle necessary to secure Memphis' future has lagged behind - pioneering musculoskeletal research. Breakthrough medical devices come only through investment in original research. While the University of Tennessee medical school does excellent work training new orthopedic doctors, Memphis has not been known for the advanced research that leads to new products.

That is changing, however, with the creation of the InMotion Musculoskeletal Institute. Since its launch earlier this year, InMotion has forged innovative partnerships with the University of Tennessee and the University of Memphis, among others, that will bring world-class musculoskeletal researchers to Memphis.

Started with several grants, including a $3.1 million grant from the Plough Foundation and $500,000 from the Assisi Foundation, InMotion will soon move into its first laboratory space in the Memphis BioWorks Foundation building near Downtown. Significantly more federal, state and local dollars will be needed to achieve world-class research status, but InMotion is off to an auspicious beginning.

Today Memphis is the only city in the world that has the full complement of business, medicine, education, distribution, venture capital and research support needed to excel in the musculoskeletal industry. Economic growth, job creation and an improvement in the quality of life will follow as Memphis moves to be the "Musculoskeletal Capital of the World."

Robert A. Compton is a former president and chief operating officer of Sofamor Danek. He serves on the boards of the Plough Foundation and the Campbell Orthopedic Research Foundation.