the trelys funds  
innovation, cultivation, growth
Press

SpineMedica™ Adds Marie-Helene Plais-Cotrel to Board of Directors
Convenes First Meeting in Atlanta
12.19.05

ATLANTA/PRNewswire – SpineMedica Corp., a medical device company currently developing an artificial disc implant called SaluDisc™, announced today the addition of Dr. Marie-Helene Plais-Cotrel to the company's Board of Directors. With Mr. Lew Bennett and Dr. Plais-Cotrel on the Board the Company can draw on the experience of two business leaders who help build up the world's number one spine company, Sofamor Danek.

Dr. Yves Cotrel, one of the fathers of modern spine surgery, started Sofamor in 1973. In 1987 his daughter, Dr. Marie-Helene Plais-Cotrel, joined the Sofamor Danek Group as their Medical Director and from 1993-1996 served as the President of Sofamor SNC and Sofamor Danek Europe. Subsequently, she served as the Executive Vice President for New Business and Development until the company was sold to Medtronic in 1999 for 3.68 billion dollars.

Dr. Plais-Cotrel has been a board member of several leading medical companies, including: Conceptus, Inc., Spine Next, Tigenix, Financiere Surgical and Biospace Instruments SA. Since 1999, she has served on the Administration and Scientific Boards of the Cotrel Spinal Research Foundation, Institut de France. She also speaks at many scientific symposiums throughout the world and has numerous published scientific research articles. Of her recent visit to SpineMedica's Operations Center in Atlanta, Dr. Plais-Cotrel says, "I am very encouraged and excited by what I have found in this Company. SpineMedica has an innovative product and its people are professional, highly-skilled and motivated."

Lew Bennett, SpineMedica's CEO and a Board director, has held senior executive positions with companies in the orthopedic and spine businesses and was an early investor, Executive Vice President, Officer and Director of Sofamor Danek. He was also one of the founders of Howmedica Corporation. Steve Gorlin is Chairman of SpineMedica's Board of Directors. Over the past 25 years Mr. Gorlin has founded several highly publicized biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. He also founded and is former Chairman of the Board of Directors of GMP Companies, Inc., a high technology innovator of medical products. Mr. Gorlin presently is the Chairman and CEO of DARA BioSciences, Inc. and serves as Chairman of Medivation, Inc.

SpineMedica convened its first Board meeting on December 13, 2005. The eleven-member Board is comprised of industry experts who have pioneered the use of other joint replacements, such as total hip implants, now considered to be the standard of care. Dr. David Ku, the inventor of Salubria® and Board member, believes that "with leaders such as Mr. Steve Gorlin, Mr. Lew Bennett and Dr. Plais-Cotrel on SpineMedica's Board, we are confident and excited about the path SpineMedica will forge in the area of spinal treatments."

About SpineMedica Corp:
SpineMedica, a Florida corporation, is a development stage company that is focused on commercializing medical device technologies for application in the spine and chronic back pain. SpineMedica's goal is to acquire promising technologies in this field through licensing arrangements and develop and commercialize such technologies based on its expertise.

This release contains forward-looking statements with respect to the outlook for expectations for future financial or business performance, strategies, expectations and goals. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties, which change over time. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and no duty to update forward-looking statements is assumed. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors, including risks relating to the need for additional capital and the uncertainty of additional funding; the early-stage products under development; uncertainties relating to clinical trials; success in the clinical development of any products; dependence on third parties; future capital needs; and risks relating to the  commercialization, if any, of the Company's proposed products (such as marketing, safety, regulatory, patent, product liability, supply, competition and other risks). SaluDisc™ is a registered trademark of SpineMedica Corporation.


© the trelys funds