Today we are pleased to announce that the cofounders of CytexOrtho (formerly Cytex Therapeutics), Dr Farshid Guilak, Dr Bradley Estes, and Dr Frank Moutos have been granted the 2021 Kappa Delta Elizabeth Winston Lanier Award by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS). Commonly referred to as the Nobel Prize of orthopedics, the Kappa Delta award recognizes research in musculoskeletal disease or injury with the potential to advance patient care. Their research focuses on materials and methods to effectively repair damaged articular cartilage, restore smooth joint function, and relieve the joint pain that occurs in debilitating diseases such as osteoarthritis. This research is the foundation of our work here at CytexOrtho and has led to the development of CytexOrtho cartilage regeneration hip implants that are on the way to clinical trials. The Kappa Delta Award is the highest award in the field of orthopedics.
The founders issued this joint statement: “We are honored to have our work recognized by Kappa Delta and the AAOS and additionally express our thanks to the many colleagues and co-workers over the years who have contributed to this work. We also thank the National Institutes of Health for its longstanding support of our research, enabling Cytex to bring basic research into the clinic. This has been our objective all along.” The founders remain involved with Cytex where Dr. Guilak is Executive Chairman, Dr. Estes is President and Dr. Moutos is VP of Technology Development.
According to the AAOS, osteoarthritis or OA is a debilitating and costly disease affecting more than 32 million Americans and totaling approximately $65 billion in direct medical fees annually in the United States. [1] It occurs when the articular cartilage (smooth tissue that covers the end of bones) degenerates, contributing to joint pain. Approximately 2.8 million patients with OA are between the ages of 40-65 and seek medical treatment for hip OA. [2,3] Of these, 840,000 (about 30%) suffer from activity-limiting hip OA, and are typically recommended for hip replacement surgery.
Kappa Delta Awards
In 1947, at its golden anniversary, the Kappa Delta Sorority established the Kappa Delta Research Fellowship in Orthopedics, the first award ever created to honor achievements in the field of orthopedic research. The first annual award was made available to the Academy in 1949 and presented at the AAOS meeting in 1950. The Kappa Delta Awards have been presented by the Academy to persons who have performed research in orthopedic surgery that is of high significance and impact. The sorority has since added two more awards named for the sorority’s national past presidents: Elizabeth Winston Lanier, and Ann Doner Vaugh. For more information about the KD awards, please visit aaos.org/kappadelta.
AAOS
With more than 39,000 members, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons is the world’s largest medical association of musculoskeletal specialists. The AAOS is the trusted leader in advancing musculoskeletal health. It provides the highest quality, most comprehensive education to help orthopedic surgeons and allied health professionals at every career level best treat patients in their daily practices.
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[1] United States Bone and Joint Initiative. The Burden of Musculoskeletal Diseases in the United States (BMUS). In: In. Fourth ed. Rosemont, IL. 2018: Available at https://www.boneandjointburden.org/fourth-edition.
[2] Gunther KP, Puhl W, Brenner H, et al. 2002. [Clinical epidemiology of hip and knee joint arthroses: an overview of the results of the “Ulm Osteoarthrosis Study”]. Z Rheumatol 61:244-249.
[3] Gunther KP, Sturmer T, Sauerland S, et al. 1998. Prevalence of generalized osteoarthritis in patients with advanced hip and knee osteoarthritis: the Ulm Osteoarthritis Study. Ann Rheum Dis 57:717-723.