About Axial Biotech, Inc.

Axial Biotech, Inc. is focused on the use of genetics and the development of minimally invasive, motion preserving implants to advance the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and deformities of the human spine. Axial is the first company to pursue DNA-based pre-symptomatic and prognostic tests for common spinal conditions which will augment current clinical and surgical practices. In its initial product development initiative, Axial has made significant progress towards the discovery of a location in the human genome that is associated with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. In addition, Axial’s founders have developed five fusionless surgical devices (including the only such device currently being implanted in humans) that have the promise of expanding the current treatable scoliosis patient population by a factor of ten. Axial intends to use its proprietary genetic intellectual property in the development of bio-mechanical devices, and to apply its gene discovery/product development methodology to other spinal diseases.

Spine care has historically focused on ameliorating the pain and/or fixing structural damage after it occurs. Recent technological advances in minimally invasive surgical techniques and better instrumentation have made the spine industry the hottest segment of the medical device market today, according to Start-Up magazine. Market analysis indicates a $3 billion sales potential for new instrumentation alone within 4 years, with this market compounding at greater than 20% per year. In the last 24 months, over $250 million of reported venture capital financing has flowed into spine start-ups and investors have achieved exits totaling over $1 billion, including one IPO (NuVasive). Axial’s novel tests will complement the advances in surgical instrumentation by providing the spine care industry with the first to market diagnostic and prognostic tests for targeting earlier and more appropriate therapeutic interventions. Axial’s surgical devices, one of which is currently in off-label use in humans, represent the only available alternative to spine fusion in the treatment of scoliosis. Axial is located in Salt Lake City, Utah, a place the New York Times recently called “an ideal genetic laboratory.” (NYT, July 31, 2004 , page 1 )