About Us
About Spine by Design
Spine by Design is a spinout of Oregon State University. originating with Dr. Morgan Giers' research on risk factors for reherniation after microdiscectomy spine surgery. In the US alone, there are more than 1.2 million spinal surgeries each year, and roughly 25% of these or 300,000 are microdisectomies, These surgeries cost the US healthcare system between 4.5 and 15 Billion a year. Unfortunately, 5-10% of microdisectomies reherniate, leading to additional surgery costs, longer patient recovery times and lost productivity Our software will help spine surgeons and their patients by allowing them to use objective data to predict surgical complications so they can make informed surgical choices.
The Spine by Design Team
Morgan Giers, PhD, CTO
Morgan Giers is an Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at Oregon State University. She received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology in 2010 and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Arizona State University in 2013 before completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Barrow Neurological Institute in spine neurosurgery research.
The Giers’ Lab at OSU focuses on patient selection and outcome prediction for intervertebral disc (IVD) regenerative and surgical therapies. She utilizes various clinical, computational, and wet lab techniques, including Machine Learning, MRI, image processing, mathematical modeling, transport phenomena, whole organ culture, cell culture, histology, drug delivery,
immunohistochemistry, and surgery.
Charla Triplett, CEO
For over 20 years, Charla has worked with entrepreneurs, engineers, scientists, marketing and executive teams, supporting the commercialization of medtech and digital health. In addition to her role in Spine by Design, she serves as a Senior Venture Partner in the Expert Dojo Healthcare fund and accelerator and is Managing Director at Suncoast Ventures.
She holds an M.S. in Bioengineering from Oregon State University, a B.S. in Microbiology from Washington State University.