Reach Orthopaedics

Each year, millions of people experience rotator cuff tears that can cause debilitating pain and lack of mobility. People over 50 are particularly vulnerable to the effects of this injury and it can have a significant impact on quality of life. Reach Orthopaedics is developing a shoulder implant to treat patients suffering from irreparable rotator cuff tears. The innovative design helps restore shoulder alignment, relieving sufferers of chronic pain and giving them more mobility and function.

Tears can lead to shoulder migration which is the root cause of chronic pain and a loss of function. The Reach implant stops shoulder migration, restoring balance and reducing pain. This implant has the potential to impact the quality of life for many individuals and become the standard of care to treat this common problem.

Throughout his career, Dr. David Johnston has been troubled by the inability to reliably treat patients suffering from massive rotator cuff tears. With colleague Dr. Andrew Trenholm, he founded Reach Orthopaedics and, in 2020, the company graduated from Creative Destruction Lab-Atlantic. Involvement with CDL connected the founders with mentors across Canada, including Marcia Clark, Orthopaedic Surgeon, Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Calgary, and member of UCeed’s Clinical Advisory Board. Reach Orthopaedics has also received support from IMPACT, a program out of Innovate Calgary that works with early-stage health ventures preparing for clinical trials. Investment from UCeed enables Reach Orthopaedics to complete critical milestones as it works towards completing the clinical feasibility study.

“We are grateful to become part of the UCeed community," says Johnston. "Their mentorship and investment is a strong endorsement at this pivotal time as we work towards becoming the standard of care for treatment of this common and debilitating health problem.”

Visit Reach Orthopaedics’ website for more information.

Reach Orthopaedics has received investment from UCeed, a venture philanthropy fund accelerating UCalgary and community-based startup companies to advance problem-solving research, create jobs and fuel the economy. A key program in the UCalgary innovation ecosystem, UCeed bridges the gap between innovation, demonstration and commercialization, and is managed by UCalgary’s knowledge-transfer and business incubator, Innovate Calgary.

UCeed Health Fund is supported by the generosity of the River Fund at the Calgary Foundation and its mission to build a healthy and vibrant community where everyone belongs.