MEDICAL DEVICE · SPORTS MEDICINE · ORIGIN STORY
5.5mm Suture Anchor System
Senior capstone project that became an FDA-cleared product used in operating rooms.
- ORG
- OIC / University of Nevada
- ROLE
- Student Engineer → Product Engineer
- PERIOD
- Senior Capstone → Commercial Product
- STATUS
- FDA cleared, in clinical use
This is where it all started. I'd interned at OIC the summer before my senior year, and my boss approached me about sponsoring a capstone project — a 5.5mm suture anchor system for sports medicine applications like rotator cuff and labral repair. I had the project approved and a team assembled before the class even started.
What began as a senior capstone project at the University of Nevada became an FDA-cleared medical device used in real surgical procedures. It also taught me a valuable lesson about designing things people will actually use — the cost savings of a non-pre-loaded anchor didn't outweigh the extra steps surgeons had to take to load it. Design for the user, not the spreadsheet.
What I did
Lead designer on the capstone team, then continued development through FDA clearance at OIC.
Highlights
Capstone to Commercial
One of the rare senior projects that went from classroom to operating room.
Suture Anchor Design
Complete implant design for soft tissue-to-bone fixation in sports medicine applications.
FDA Pathway
Navigated the regulatory process from student project to cleared device.
Outcome
FDA cleared and in clinical use. The project that launched a career in medical device engineering.