Convocation Newsletter, Summer 2019

“Our goal is to bring this work to clinical practice – and into the world beyond.” Dr Sloan Kulper (HKU PhD 2018) CEO of Lifespans, a HKU spin-off company Soft Implants for Soft Bones The history of innovation is full of accidents – dating back to when an apple fell on Sir Isaac Newton, inspiring him to discover gravity. Lifespans, which develops orthopaedic implants, also had its eureka moment due to a mishap. “The idea for a ‘soft implant’ came from an accidental discovery in our lab,” said Dr Kulper. “A piece of biocompatible rubber that we were using for another purpose fell into the hole before the insertion of a bone screw design that we were testing in artificial elderly bone tissue. When we looked at the data, we found that result was really, really good! We were amazed when we discovered the little rubber cylinder hiding inside. This discovery kicked off years of research into how ‘soft implants’ could help cushion the soft bone tissue of patients with osteoporosis.” Fractures, due to falls or accidents, are conventionally treated with rigid metal implants to fuse bone back together. However, this technique does not work as well on the weaker bones often found in the elderly. The breakthrough of using “soft implants” could greatly improve quality of life in a rapidly aging society. Dr Kulper, an MIT-educated engineer, co-founded Lifespans with HKU academics and research scientists: Professor William Lu 呂維加 , Ng Chun-Man Professor in Orthopaedic Bioengineering; Professor Frankie Leung 梁加利 (MBBS 1989); Clinical Assistant Professor and Honorary Associate Consultant Christian Fang 方欣碩 (MBBS 2003); and Dr Erica Ueda Boles, all of the Department of Orthopaedics & Traumatology. Dr Xiaoreng Feng, a PhD student, and Dr Grace Teng Zhang 張騰 , a post-doctoral R&D project manager, serve as Lifespans’ advisor and director of clinical affairs, respectively. WHAT NEXT? Lifespans is applying for regulatory approval around the world, including in the United States, the European Union, China, ASEAN and Australia. Convocation Newsletter 7