Empirical Spine, Inc., founded in 2015, is a privately held company creating a new standard of care in spine surgery that works in parallel with the natural structures of the spine to restore functionality and optimize quality of life. The company’s LimiFlex™ Dynamic Sagittal Tether (DST) was initially conceived by inventors Louie Fielding and Todd Alamin, MD in the Stanford Biodesign Program. LimiFlex is a minimally invasive implant designed to stabilize the spine after open decompression, while preserving motion. It is the first-of-its-kind surgical option for degenerative spondylolisthesis patients that no longer forces the trade-offs in outcomes and costs that lumbar fusion creates.
Louie Fielding is an original inventor of the LimiFlex™ Dynamic Sagittal Tether™, which was conceived in the Biodesign program at Stanford University while Louie pursued a master’s degree in mechanical engineering. As co-founder and director of R&D of Simpirica Spine and then Empirical Spine, Louie led product development as well as verification and validation activities; managed the IP portfolio; authored several peer-reviewed articles and FDA submissions. Louie holds more than 20 patents. Prior to Empirical Spine, Louie led the mechanical design team in the Intel Digital Health Group, developing solutions for remote healthcare delivery. Louie received his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University and his B.S. from the University of Washington.