A Long Island, New York, teen may be changing the way doctors treat scoliosis. Harry Paul, a high school senior, has invented an implant to treat the spinal condition from which he has suffered for his entire life.
At four feet, ten inches tall, 17-year-old Harry Paul has undergone more than a dozen surgeries to treat his extreme spinal curvature. So when he took on the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, his invention was personal.
Paul may have come up with a device that could prevent children with scoliosis from undergoing the same intense surgical treatments he endured “every three to six months” while growing up.
“I’m hoping that the treatment will be easier and better for children, so that they won’t have to go through the same ordeal that I went through,” he told CBS.
The invention, a spinal implant that expands over time to allow the spine to grow straight, won two special award prizes at Intel’s engineering fair, including a $10,000 college scholarship from the Office of Naval Research on behalf of the United States Navy and Marine Corps. CBS reported that Paul has won seven major science awards and more than $20,000 in prize money.
Marla Ezratty, a science teacher at Paul’s high school, told CBS that the implants could be usable for children in the next three years. “It’s just incredible because what happens now is that you don’t have to have all these surgeries.”
Paul plans to attend Tufts University in Medford this September to study biomedical engineering and public health. His invention is patent-pending, and is currently being tested and developed by an unnamed engineering company.
Shannon McMahon can be reached at shannon.mcmahon@globe.com. Follow her on twitter @shanmcmahon_.
