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PLYMOUTH, Minnesota– TGS Knee Innovations LLC is seeking to raise $1 million from the sale of equity, according to documents recently filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
So far the company, founded by orthopedic doctors Gerard Engh and Wesley Johnson, has raised $600,000, the SEC documents show.
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TGS, which stands for tissue guided surgery, is developing a joint replacement system that will allow surgeons to better treat patients suffering from arthritis or severe knee injuries. For example, arthritic patients suffer pain, swelling, and joint stiffness because the soft tissue that connects the bones wears away, causing the bones to rub together.
To replace knee joints, doctors would first reconstruct each bone surface separately and then rebalance the soft tissue connecting the bones to accommodate the implants. But the procedure limits the natural movement of the patient’s knee. The surgery is also invasive, as sections of the patient’s knee would be exposed for a period of time.
According to patents awarded by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, TGS has invented technology to better align the patient’s natural motion with joint reconstruction. The TGS UKA System helps doctors restore natural movement by implanting the artificial joints in a way that accommodates the soft tissue. In other words, the implants must fit the patient’s natural body rather than other way around.
“We believe the TGS UKA System will provide patients with a more natural feeling and functioning partial knee replacement while giving the surgeon an easier, more precise and repeatable surgical procedure,” Dr. Engh wrote in an article published in the current issue of Orthopreneur magazine. “The ease of use and minimal surgical trauma provided by the TGS UKA System should fit well in outpatient surgical settings.”
