Development of Technology
Research History Brief
Juvent’s technology has developed from over twenty-five years of research focused initially on identifying specific signals that are anabolic to bone. This was based on the knowledge that bone responds to mechanical forces to maintain and enhance its structure.
These signals were identified in a stepwise progression, initially demonstrating that dynamic signals had an effect, whereas static signals did not. Optimum magnitude and frequencies were then identified leading to the development of a device that could introduce these signals into the human skeleton through the plantar surface of the foot. The results confirmed the ability of the standing adult skeleton to transmit a substantial fraction of ground acceleration to regions of the weight-bearing skeleton most susceptible to bone loss.
While it is understood that muscle induced strains on bone tissue are small, they are the signals that dominate the strain history of bone. It is thought that these persistent, low-amplitude signals are as important as the less frequently occurring strains from vigorous activity. This has led to the exploration of changes in muscle activity and sarcopenia accompanying aging.
Considering the risk factors of some vibration signals, it was determined that the signals employed (0.2 – 0.3g p-p, 30-45 Hz ) are well within the exposure limits recommended by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). In any of the clinical trials conducted with these signals, there were no occurrences of adverse events. The published literature documents the results of the clinical studies that were conducted to demonstrate the effects of these signals on the musculoskeletal system.
Additionally, this body of data led NASA to continue investigations for specific effect on bone and muscle in a weightless environment. A study, employing volunteer subjects in a bed rest study simulating weightlessness, preliminary data has supported previous evidence of inhibiting bone loss and muscle atrophy.
In editorials published in The Lancet in 2001 and the American Journal of Physiology in 2005, the editors spoke of the “considerable potential benefit of a non-invasive ‘good vibrations’ approach” to the problems of combating low Bone Mineral Density and other physiological impairments, after seeing reports of both animal and clinical results of the Juvent technology published in Nature, J. FASEB and The Journal of Bone and Mineral Density.
The scientists conducting this work are renowned in the fields of bone metabolism and biomedical engineering. Their work has been supported by various scientific funding agencies including NASA, NIH and the U.S. Army. They have presented their results annually at national and international scientific symposia and have been the recipients of the Kappa Delta Award by the Orthopaedic Research Society and the Young Investigator Award by the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research.
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