UPDATE: First Tuesday lecture on December 6 sponsored by RFID Center of Excellence now featuring Lee Berger, Ph.D., founder of Ortho-tag Inc.

 PITTSBURGH (November 23, 2011) … As medical implantation technology continues to advance so too does the need for monitoring patient recovery, regardless of whether the patient is at home, on the road or traveling abroad. Lee Berger, Ph.D., Founder of Ortho-tag, Inc. will discuss how his company is merging high-technology with cost efficiency while keeping patient privacy at the forefront at the First Tuesday lecture on December 6. "Making Medical Technology Smarter," presented by the RFID Center of Excellence at the Swanson School of Engineering, will be the theme of this presentation in Benedum Hall Room 102 at 6:30 p.m.

The session will include time for a demonstration of how the Ortho-tag System functions; participation in a discussion of the technology; what it means for the future of patient care; and how the next generation of Orthotag™ will revolutionize preventative implant medicine.

Ortho-tag, Inc., together with the University of Pittsburgh and its Swanson School of Engineering, has developed Transcutaneous Near Field Communication equipped tags that will be embedded on orthopaedic implants. The breakthrough technology will enable surgeons to record vital information about implants, and in the future, monitor the health of the tissue surrounding the implant itself, on to the tag and store that data into a national registry.

The Orthotag System is comprised of patented readers, touch probes and software. In addition to the TNFC tag, the company has developed the Ortho-tag Card which will be available for both past implant recipients and future implant patients. The Ortho-tag Card will allow patients to have with them, at all times, information regarding their implant, surgeon, surgery and other pertinent information. The Ortho-tag Card will also allow physicians quick access to accurate medical information and the ability to add follow up care details to the card and the registry.

About the Swanson School of Engineering
The University of Pittsburgh's Swanson School of Engineering (SSoE) is one of the oldest engineering programs in the United States and is consistently ranked among the top 50 engineering programs nationally. SSoE has excelled in basic and applied research during the past decade and is on the forefront of 21st century technology including energy systems, bioengineering, micro- and nanosystems, computational modeling, and advanced materials development. Approximately 120 faculty members serve more than 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students and Ph.D. candidates in six departments, including Bioengineering, Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science.

About the RFID Center of Excellence

Ortho-tag is a development of the RFID Center of Excellence . As radio frequency identification (RFID) technology expands and improves, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh are advancing with it. The RFID Center of Excellence in Pitt's School of Engineering will enable the school to increase its capabilities and remain a world leader in establishing the direction of radio frequency identification technology. Pitt's RFID research is world renowned, and its research program has been identified as one of the top three in the world-with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of Cambridge in England. The RFID Center of Excellence serves as an international resource to academics and members of the business community. The RFID Center of Excellence is led by Executive Director Marlin Mickle, Ph.D. , Nickolas A. DeCecco Professor. Dr Mickle is currently involved in RF energy harvesting and the development of totally passive and un-tethered networks. His research also includes the fundamental science and technology involved in RFID.

About Ortho-tag, Inc.
Ortho-Tag, Inc. is a high-technology development and sales company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Ortho-tag develops "smart" medical devices that utilize Transcutaneous Near Field Communication for embedding into various orthopaedic implants such as total hip, total knee, total shoulder prosthesis, spine cages, rods and screws. The Ortho-tag System includes proprietary Orthotags™, Ortho-tag Touch Probes, Ortho-tag Readers, and Ortho-tag Software for data capture. The Ortho-tag System was designed in consultation with leading orthopaedic surgeons and developed by the University of Pittsburgh Engineering Department with the assistance and efforts of the Office of Technology Management of the University of Pittsburgh.

###