Twenty-four years ago, then pediatric surgery fellow James Dunn, MD, PhD had an idea for a way to help children with short bowel syndrome (SBS), a devastating condition that makes normal eating impossible because there isn’t enough functional small intestine to absorb adequate nutrition.
“I was listening to a plastic surgeon present on a technique called distraction osteogenesis, which he was using to help pediatric patients with undersize jaws,” Dr. Dunn recalled. “By applying measured force, he was able to make the bones grow. I thought the technique might work for SBS and decided that, after my fellowship, I would study using mechanical solutions to stimulate intestinal growth.”
Earlier this year, Dr. Dunn finally got to see his concept become a clinical reality when Eclipse Regenesis, a startup Company-in-Residence (CIR) at Fogarty Innovation that he co-founded with FI board chair Tom Krummel, MD, and CEO Andre Bessette, successfully enrolled and treated its first adult SBS patient.