The National Institutes of Health recently awarded Clemson (S.C.) University's Hai Yao, PhD, $40,000 to fund his research on an alternative treatment for spinal deformities.
Dr. Yao, the Ernest R. Norville Endowed Chair and professor in the Department of Bioengineering, is developing a technique to correct spinal deformities without locking rods or pedicle screws to the spine.
His approach, the R-FIXation system, uses hooks to connect rods to the ribs instead of the spine.
Dr. Yao hopes that using the thorax as the main structure to correct spinal deformities, rather than a secondary structure, will lead to lower complication rates and improved outcomes for patients with spinal deformities.