AxioMed World’s First Artificial Spinal Disc To Outperform the Human Disc — Breakthrough Study from Harvard Spine Surgeons

Fort Lauderdale, FL – October 30 2025 — In a historic milestone for spine surgery to treat degenerative disc disease, a natural breakdown of the spine affecting everyone as we age, AxioMed LLC, a portfolio company of KIC Ventures, has published a landmark study in Clinical Biomechanics (Elsevier) proving that its viscoelastic lumbar disc replacement not only replicates but in key ways outperforms the natural human disc.

The study, “ASTM biomechanical study comparing the AxioMed lumbar viscoelastic disc to human lumbar disc data” (DOI: 10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2025.106686), was authored by an international team of spine experts and led by Dr. Kingsley R. Chin, Professor of Orthopedic Spine Surgery, former Chief of Spine Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania, and CEO of KIC Ventures, together with Dr. Erik Spayde, Orthopedic Spine Surgeon and Chief Medical Officer of KIC Ventures, a physician-led private equity MedTech investment firm. Both are Harvard Medical School–educated and trained spine surgeons who have dedicated their careers to restoring motion through innovation.

A Vision for Motion — Beyond Fusion Surgery

As much of the spine industry remains focused on rigid spinal fusion surgeries—procedures that immobilize spinal segments and often lead to a revision epidemic and sacroiliac joint breakdown in over 43% of patients—AxioMed’s Freedom® Viscoelastic Total Disc Replacement (VTDR) offers a transformative alternative: restoring natural motion with lasting durability.

Tested under rigorous ASTM standards in physiologic conditions, the AxioMed disc demonstrated:

• Axial and flexion-extension stiffness equivalent to the native human disc

• Rotation stiffness slightly lower than native values, enabling smoother segmental motion

• Compression endurance up to 20,000 N with no mechanical or functional failure

• True dual-zone viscoelastic behavior, reproducing the compliant neutral and stiff elastic zones of a healthy disc

  
  

“Imagine If…” — A New Era for the Human Spine

“Imagine if you could replace your heart with one that beats like your own—only stronger and longer-lasting. That’s what we’ve done for the spine,” said Dr. Kingsley R. Chin, lead author and CEO of KIC Ventures. “This disc behaves like the human disc—absorbing shock, restoring motion, and showing exceptional durability. It’s the difference between rigid reconstruction and true restoration.”

A Note to Tiger Woods — A Moment for Motion Preservation

In October 2025, world-renowned athlete Tiger Woods reportedly underwent lumbar disc replacement surgery. “We are happy that Tiger chose motion preservation over rigid screws and cages,” Dr. Chin said. “I only wish he had known that the AxioMed viscoelastic lumbar disc—the only one proven to perform like the natural disc—will soon be resubmitted for U.S. FDA approval. We wish him well nonetheless. His choice highlights a turning point: patients and athletes alike are now seeking motion-preserving, Interventional Spine Surgery solutions, not fusion.”

Clinical Momentum and Global Proof

Surgeons across the USA, Europe, Australia, and Jamaica have implanted nearly 1,000 AxioMed discs, with over 10 years of follow-up and no device failures, no explants, and no osteolysis reported.

“This study provides the scientific proof behind what surgeons have observed for years: AxioMed’s viscoelastic disc moves like the real thing,” said Dr. Erik Spayde, co-author and CMO of KIC Ventures. “This is the future of spine surgery—restoring motion rather than destroying it.”

A Decade of Innovation and Leadership

“We continually advanced AxioMed’s product to stay ahead of expected competition and meet what surgeons and patients truly need,” said Vito Lore, Chief Technology Officer of KIC Ventures, who led the first-ever FDA Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) lumbar study on a viscoelastic disc in the United States. “No other spine company in the world has a viscoelastic disc replacement validated by both comparable biomechanical testing and an IDE clinical study.”

Why This Matters: How AxioMed Redefines Motion Compared to ProDisc and ActivL

While Centinel Spine’s ProDisc and Aesculap’s ActivL remain the only other lumbar disc replacements approved in the United States, their articulating ball-and-socket designs operate on a completely different mechanical principle.

Feature	ProDisc/ActivL ProDisc ActivL	AxioMed’s Freedom® Disc
Design	Multi-piece metal & polymer articulation	Single-piece viscoelastic elastomer (no moving parts)
Motion Mechanism	Mechanical sliding, like hip or knee replacement	Material deformation that replicates natural motion
Wear & Osteolysis	Prone to submicron debris → bone loss and failure	No wear debris, no osteolysis, no failures reported
Facet Joint Impact	Can cause abnormal motion and stress	Restores natural motion, reduces facet loading
Lordosis / Sagittal Balance	Flat or limited curvature	Built-in 8° and 12° lordotic options restore posture
Market Confidence	DePuy sold ProDisc to Centinel; Aesculap withdrew ActivL from market	FDA IDE complete; biomechanical validation published

Unlike articulating devices that rub together to create motion, the AxioMed disc flexes and rebounds like a natural disc. It is a single, solid piece of proprietary elastomeric material, designed to absorb impact, maintain alignment, and restore the natural curvature of the spine. With 8° and 12° of built-in lordosis, it restores sagittal balance—a key factor in healthy spinal function and long-term outcomes.

“Articulating discs imitate mechanics; viscoelastic discs restore life,” Dr. Chin noted. “There’s a reason we’ve seen zero failures with AxioMed. We designed it to work with biology, not against it.”

The Rise of Interventional Spine Surgery and LESS Exposure Spine Surgery

The AxioMed breakthrough is part of a larger movement pioneered by KIC Ventures and its portfolio company NANISX—the creation of Interventional Spine Surgery, guided by the REP Principles:

• R – Restore Function

• E – Early Treatment

• P – Preserve Anatomy and Motion

These principles define a new era of outpatient, anatomy-preserving spine care that empowers interventional pain specialists, orthopedic spine surgeons, and neurosurgeons to deliver better outcomes with less trauma.

This philosophy is embodied in LESS Exposure Spine Surgery (LESS)—a global initiative committed to transforming spine care from invasive reconstruction to biologically harmonious restoration.

Patients and physicians worldwide can join the movement and stay updated at www.LESSociety.org, the official platform of the LESS Society.

About AxioMed

AxioMed LLC, headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, develops the world’s only viscoelastic total disc replacements proven to replicate the motion, stiffness, and shock absorption of the human disc. AxioMed’s Freedom® Lumbar and Cervical Discs are backed by the first completed FDA Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) clinical study for a viscoelastic design.

AxioMed is preparing to apply for FDA approval in 2026 as part of its plan to reintroduce the Freedom® Lumbar Disc to the U.S. market and expand globally through outpatient, motion-preserving spine centers.

About KIC Ventures

Founded by orthopedic spinal surgeon Dr. Kingsley R. Chin, KIC Ventures is a physician-led private equity firm transforming spine surgery through innovation.

Founded with a mission to 10x advance spine technologies and a vision to be the global leader in outpatient LESS Exposure Spine Surgery, KIC Ventures drives innovation through its portfolio of companies, including AxioMed and NANISX, to develop and commercialize motion-preserving, minimally invasive spine technologies.

“Our purpose,” Dr. Chin said, “is to produce patented products that restore motion and improve lives worldwide. The spine deserves innovation that keeps people moving—not locked in place.”

About the LESS Society

The LESS Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to unite physicians, scientists, entrepreneurs, and innovators who share a commitment to advancing LESS Exposure Spine Surgery (LESS) and fellowship-train physicians in Interventional Spine Surgery worldwide.

The Society promotes the TIER philosophy—Technology, Investments, Education, and Research—to foster collaboration between medical professionals and industry leaders in developing safer, smarter, and more accessible spine care solutions.

Through education, research, and global outreach, the LESS Society empowers physicians and patients to adopt the REP Principles—Restore Function, Early Treatment, and Preserve Anatomy and Motion—and to drive the movement toward outpatient, motion-preserving spine surgery.

To learn more or become a member, visit www.LESSociety.org.

Media Contact

KIC Ventures Media Relations📧 press@kicventures.com🌐 www.KICVentures.com

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