UAB Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Assistant Professor and Section Chief of Sports Medicine Amit Momaya, M.D., was selected to participate in an National Institutes of Health(NIH)-funded study for the Bridge-Enhanced® ACL Repair (BEAR®) Implant as a medical monitor.

As medical monitor, Momaya will serve as the medical expert for the BEAR® study. His role includes providing valuable input into the design and conduct of the study as well as assessment and interpretation of data.

“I’m looking forward to supporting a growing database of research on techniques that might improve patient experience and outcomes for ACL repairs,” said Momaya. “Within the department and across UAB, we are always looking for ways to restore anatomy and get our patients back to their active lifestyles.”

The BEAR® Implant is a proprietary bio-engineered bridging scaffold to facilitate healing of the torn ACL and is an alternative to the current standard reconstruction treatment for torn ACLs. Use of the BEAR technology does not require the harvest of the patient's own tissue as required with autograft reconstruction.

The BEAR Implant is designed to be surgically placed between the torn ACL ends at the time of repair, and to hold a small amount of the patient’s blood in the wound site. The combination of the BEAR Implant and the patient’s blood provides a scaffold that allows the torn ends of the ACL to heal back together.