News

For Immediate Release

SEBIO Announces Restorative Physiology Group as the Grand Prize Winner in the Third Annual BIO/Plan Competition Atlanta, GA

December 22, 2009

Southeast BIO (SEBIO) has announced the winner of its third annual BIO/Plan Competition, a year-long business creation competition. The winner is Restorative Physiology Group, LLC (Charleston, SC). Restorative Physiology Group will take home the BIO/Plan grand prize valued at $100,000.00 in non-dilutive cash and services.

The BIO/Plan Competition is a year-long program developed to promote the creation of new, fundable life science companies based in the Southeast. Working closely with technology transfer offices and entrepreneurs throughout the region, the Competition brings forward opportunities from leading Southeastern research universities and centers. The BIO/Plan Competition received over fifty applications earlier this year. The applicant pool included applications from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.

The winner was selected from four finalists that each presented to a panel of celebrity judges at the Eleventh Annual SEBIO Investor Forum on December 4th in Charleston, South Carolina. The final four competitors were selected from nine semifinalists who completed a rigorous mentoring process to develop an executable business strategy and associated written plan. The mentoring teams included three or four experienced professionals from active venture funds or angel groups, biotech entrepreneurs and managers, and service providers with relevant start-up expertise. Each mentoring team worked together for six months. The resulting business plans were judged by a panel of experts who selected the four finalists.

Restorative Physiology Group is developing orthopedic implants and methods for “least invasive” deployment of these devices to treat patients with common spine disease. The ThermaCageTM family of spinal fusion cage products can be placed through a small diameter, flexible catheter while achieving clinical outcomes equivalent to current gold standard devices that require significantly larger, straight access pathways. The members of the Restorative Physiology Group management team are Michael S. Kitchen, MD and Rebecca Delegge, MS BioE, both inventors of the technology.

“The design of this competition really pushes a startup company to come up to speed in a highly competitive environment. The mentors working with Restorative Physiology Group are top notch people actively working in venture capital, technology transfer, and corporate law – and they all are highly competitive,” said Michael Kitchen, CEO of Restorative Physiology Group. “With the help of our SEBIO-provided mentors, we were able to take a technologically strong core concept along with an awarded patent and structure a presentation that communicated our concepts to the judges. We are honored to have won this prestigious event and received the affirmation that this competition confers upon our business concept.”

The winning Restorative Physiology Group mentoring team included Lee Heron, Georgia Research Alliance; Stephen Snowdy, MB Venture Partners; and Rob Tyler, Poyner Spruill. The Wine Gallery + Market (Atlanta, GA) provided a mentor's prize of highly awarded, 100 point wines from vineyards representing the most prominent wine growing regions throughout the world.

“We are thrilled with the continued success of the BIO/Plan Competition and the significant value it has brought to the entrepreneurial, academic and investment communities,” noted Michael Wasserman, H.I.G. BioVentures and BIO/Plan Co-Chair. “We look forward to the continued success of this program and anticipate an even broader range of high quality applicants from our research institutions and centers here in the Southeast as we start the process again early next year,” said Frank Hunt, SE bioStrategies, Inc. and BIO/Plan Co-Chair.

To learn more about the SEBIO BIO/Plan Competition, please visit www.sebio.org/bioplan/.

Top of page

For Immediate Release

Restorative Physiology Group named one of four finalist for eleventh annual SEBio investor forum business plan competition.

October 22, 2009

Restorative physiology Group, LLC has been named one of four finalist companies chosen to present at the eleventh annual Southeastern BIO Investor Forum scheduled for December 2-4 in Charleston, SC. Four companies were chosen from a pool of 10 early stage companies competing in a business plan competition sponsored by SEBio a regional nonprofit organization fostering the growth of life sciences industry in the Southeastern United States.

Michael S. Kitchen MD acting CEO and Managing Partner for Restorative Physiology group commented as follows when notified of selection for the SEBio Forum: “This conference is undoubtedly the largest bioscience orientated gathering of venture capital in the Southeast. It is certainly an honor and an affirmation of our business concepts to be chosen as a finalist presenting company for this conference. We are looking forward to presenting our unique technology in this prominent venue; we will be fully prepared to explain our technology and business plans to this uniquely bioscience versed audience”.

In preparation for this competition Dr. Kitchen was afforded the opportunity to work with a group of experienced mentors provided by SEBio. This group includes venture capitalists, technology transfer experts, and legal experts. Through an intense six month process a viable business plan and muti-media presentation have been prepared specifically for the SEBio Forum.

For Immediate Release

Restorative Physiology Group announces Notice of Allowance for US Patent on ThermalMethod™ technology

June 1, 2009

Restorative Physiology Group announced today Notice of Allowance of United States Patent Application 20060030933 “Thermal Transition Methods and Devices”. This patent describes a proprietary method for the controlled, ordered, and sequential transition of a shape memory device. It is broadly applicable across a range of medical and non-medical technologies, most particularly in the development of least invasive spine, orthopaedic, and cardiovascular implants.

Dr. Michael S. Kitchen, founding partner of Restorative Physiology, commenting on the patent, “The ThermalMethod™ technology for implant delivery is the foundation of our business. The allowance of this broad method patent and of several novel implant designs disclosed therein allows us to proceed with confidence in the growth of our spine business. It also provides additional opportunities to leverage our technology into other areas through licensing or other business models.”


get pdf of full press release here

For Immediate Release

Restorative Physiology Group wins Bio-Science Award in
New Ideas for a New Carolina Business Competition

February 11, 2009

Restorative Physiology Group and its founder, Dr. Michael S. Kitchen, were winners in the Bio-Science category at the New Ideas for a New Carolina business competition in Charleston, SC. Winners were chosen in four categories based on the idea’s viability, innovation/vision and profit/revenue potential. Each category winner received $2,500 in seed funding and a scholarship to FastTrac, an entrepreneurial training program.

Dr. Kitchen, founding partner of Restorative Physiology, said, “receiving this award is further validation of the opportunity our ThermalMethod™ technology represents for the development of truly least invasive treatments for disorders of the spine. We look forward to growing our business and to creating new jobs for South Carolinians in the biotech industry.”

In its fourth year, South Carolina’s New Ideas for a New Carolina Business Idea Contest consists of the New Ideas Dream Team, a coalition of representatives from SCRA’s SC Launch!, New Carolina – SC’s Council on Competitiveness, FastTracSC, ThinkTEC and other organizations around the state. Ideas are judged by South Carolina leaders from angel capital groups, businesses, non-profits, government entities and educational institutions.


get pdf of full press release here