Titan Spine Appoints Brian Burke as Chief Operating Officer

MEQUON, Wis.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Titan Spine, a medical device surface technology company focused on developing innovative spinal interbody fusion implants, today announced the appointment of Brian Burke as Chief Operating Officer (COO). In his role, Mr. Burke will have broad cross-functional responsibility for the Company’s main business functions of sales, marketing, operations, hospital contracting, research and development, human resources, and legal, all to further support the growth of the Company and adoption of its nanoLOCK^® surface technology.

nanoLOCK^® is the company’s next-generation surface technology featuring enhanced micro and nano-scaled architecture, proven to significantly improve the osteogenic response it creates.¹

Peter Ullrich, MD, Chief Executive Officer of Titan Spine, commented, “As we continue to focus on growth, we identified a need to bring on additional executive talent to the Titan Spine team. Brian has extensive experience driving effective and dynamic functional leadership, brings a wealth of experience in the medtech industry working with both privately and publicly held companies, and has demonstrated a proven track record of implementing operational efficiency. We welcome Brian and believe he will be instrumental in expanding Titan’s strategic positioning in the marketplace.”

Prior to joining Titan Spine, Mr. Burke served as General Manager for Zimmer Biomet Dental in North America where he successfully led the integration of commercial sales and marketing in the United States and Canada following the $13.4B acquisition of Biomet by Zimmer in 2015, which created the second-largest company in the dental implant and oral reconstructive surgery market. He was responsible for leading all North American sales channels that encompassed direct sales, inside sales, and specialty sales. Before Zimmer Biomet, Brian was Group Director of Latin America and Asia for Biomet 3i, where he managed all sales and marketing activities while also managing regulatory compliance and in-country manufacturing in specific global areas.

Titan Spine offers a full line of Endoskeleton^® titanium implants that feature its proprietary nanoLOCK^® surface technology, which was launched in the U.S. in October 2016 following FDA clearance in late 2014. The nanoLOCK^®surface technology consists of a unique combination of roughened topographies at the macro, micro, and nano levels (MMN™). This unique combination of surface topographies is designed to create an optimal host-bone response and actively participate in the fusion process by promoting the upregulation of osteogenic and angiogenic factors necessary for bone growth, encouraging natural production of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), downregulating inflammatory factors, and creating the potential for a faster and more robust fusion.^2,3,4 All Endoskeleton^® devices are covered by the company’s risk share warranty.

About Titan Spine
Titan Spine, LLC is a surface technology company focused on the design and manufacture of interbody fusion devices for the spine. The company is committed to advancing the science of surface engineering to enhance the treatment of various pathologies of the spine that require fusion. Titan Spine, located in Mequon, Wisconsin and Laichingen, Germany, markets a full line of Endoskeleton^® interbody devices featuring its proprietary textured surface in the U.S., portions of Europe, and Australia through its sales force and a network of independent distributors. To learn more, visit www.titanspine.com.

¹ Olivares-Navarrete, R., Hyzy S.L., Gittens, R.A., Berg, M.E., Schneider, J.M., Hotchkiss, K., Schwartz, Z., Boyan, B. D. Osteoblast lineage cells can discriminate microscale topographic features on titanium-aluminum-vanadium surfaces. Ann Biomed Eng. 2014 Dec; 42 (12): 2551-61.

² Olivares-Navarrete, R., Hyzy, S.L., Slosar, P.J., Schneider, J.M., Schwartz, Z., and Boyan, B.D. (2015). Implant materials generate different peri-implant inflammatory factors: PEEK promotes fibrosis and micro-textured titanium promotes osteogenic factors. Spine, Volume 40, Issue 6, 399–404.

³ Olivares-Navarrete, R., Gittens, R.A., Schneider, J.M., Hyzy, S.L., Haithcock, D.A., Ullrich, P.F., Schwartz, Z., Boyan, B.D. (2012). Osteoblasts exhibit a more differentiated phenotype and increased bone morphogenetic production on titanium alloy substrates than poly-ether-ether-ketone. The Spine Journal, 12, 265-272.

⁴ Olivares-Navarrete, R., Hyzy, S.L., Gittens, R.A., Schneider, J.M., Haithcock, D.A., Ullrich, P.F., Slosar, P. J., Schwartz, Z., Boyan, B.D. (2013). Rough titanium alloys regulate osteoblast production of angiogenic factors. The Spine Journal, 13, 1563-1570.