SpineMark CRO Management, a subsidiary of SpineMark Corporation, has set up a series of innovative multidisciplinary, multisite Spine Research Organizations (SROs). The purpose of the SROs is to bring together spine experts within one collaborative venture. SpineMark has several SROs up and running, with more expected nationally and globally.

The most promising aspect about the SROs is the opportunity provided for area patients' access to advanced therapies that are undergoing research. According to Robert J. Bess, M.D. a co-founder of the SpineMark SRO in Denver, CO, and an orthopedic spine surgeon, the SRO gives the surrounding community both individualized care and the type of state-of-the-art treatment offered by clinical trials. Previously, Bess says, attempts to get patients a better variety of treatment would be hampered by the infrastructure of larger clinical trials. The SROs give participating patients the most recent minimally invasive treatment, with the convenience of being close to home.

As one example, Dr. Bess and John Prall, M.D. have set up a clinical trial with a device from Applied Spine Technologies called "StabiliMax." Stabilimax is designed for spinal stenosis patients, and stabilizes the spine without fusion in decompression surgery.
The physicians who will be participating in the organizations will be given extensive support and resources to address a "slipped disk" problem that affects close to 80 percent of U.S. adults. Back pain is not only a pervasive problem but also one of the leading causes of work absenteeism. The SROS will recruit patients for trials in cooperation with device and pharmaceutical companies, and the SROs will provide a staff infrastructure that streamlines the process of obtaining care, including third-party oversight and monitoring.

Current sites for the SROs are in Littleton, CO, Los Angeles, CA, Shreveport, LA, and Plano, TX.

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