Founder, Chairman of the Board, President & Chief Executive Officer — and sole inventor of Orthopedic Sciences, Inc.'s joint preservation technology platform.
James K. Brannon, MD founded Orthopedic Sciences, Inc. in March 1999 as a privately held California corporation, and has served as its Founder, Chairman of the Board, President, and Chief Executive Officer ever since. He is the sole inventor of OSI's joint preservation technology platform — personally conceiving, patenting, and bringing to market every device in the company's current catalog.
Dr. Brannon trained as an orthopaedic surgery resident, where he identified recurring limitations in the products available from established orthopedic device manufacturers. Rather than wait for industry to solve these problems, he used every free moment during his training to study patent law, enabling him to self-prepare and personally prosecute the U.S. patent applications for the devices he invented — a practice he has continued throughout his career.
From 1997 to 2005, Dr. Brannon taught the orthopaedic basic sciences to residents, reflecting the same scientific foundation ("orthopaedic basic sciences") that led him to name his company Orthopedic Sciences. He continues to practice orthopedic surgery and to provide direct physician education, product training, and clinical support to surgeons using OSI's technology.
Every device in OSI's current product catalog traces back to an invention personally developed, self-prepared, and prosecuted to patent by Dr. Brannon.
Developed for minimally invasive autologous bone grafting from the iliac crest — OSI's founding technology.
Establishes OSI as a privately held California corporation and secures a U.S. patent for the Bone Tool.
The Hip Tool, for bone graft stabilization in the treatment of avascular necrosis (AVN) of the femoral head, and the Bone Saver (Tissue Collection Apparatus), for collecting autologous bone, bone marrow, and cartilage — both self-prepared and prosecuted to U.S. Letters Patent. OSI receives 510(k) clearance and performs the first Hip Tool procedure in 2002.
Modifies the Hip Tool for AVN of the humeral head, resulting in 510(k) clearance and the first procedure for the TSY Shoulder Plate. In 2007, OSI receives clearance for the pediatric Hip Tool (TS Hip Tool), extending treatment to young survivors of leukemia who develop AVN of the femoral head.
Develops the Q Arthroscopy System for simultaneous arthroscopic core decompression of the shoulder, hip, and knee, and originates the instrumentation and technique for Articulochondral Osteoplasty — treating bone marrow edema lesions and enabling surgeons to treat both sides of the articular cartilage in a single procedure.
These inventions collectively establish OSI's Intraarticular Saucerization procedure — giving surgeons visible, precise surgical access to previously inaccessible areas of the joint while reducing required OR staffing to a single surgical scrub technician for many procedures.
Receives an improvement patent extending enforceability of the Bone Tool's core technology. Under Dr. Brannon's technical leadership, OSI's Piranha Technology and Burrs of Prey receive the 2016 Best Technology Sports Medicine Award, and OSI achieves ISO 13485 quality-system certification. Dr. Brannon also invents the Safety PX for variable-depth subchondral microfracturing.
Receives U.S. patents for the Clear Cannula, the Targeting Guide, and the Piranha Technology, plus a design patent for the Bone Aspirator and U.S. Letters Patents for the Burrs of Prey — continuing to expand OSI's intellectual property portfolio.
The Harpy provides superior non-digital 3D visualization of the posterior knee for meniscus and meniscus-root repair. The Irrigation Osteoplasty Needle enables single micro-portal decompression and removal of fat and inflammatory markers from bone marrow edema lesions prior to graft placement. Dr. Brannon continues to lead OSI's product development, physician training, and its expanding collaboration with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Dr. Brannon holds a U.S. patent portfolio covering orthopedic medical devices across OSI's product lines, self-prepared and prosecuted in most cases directly by Dr. Brannon. Representative patents, per OSI's virtual patent marking disclosures, include:
| Product / Technology | Patent Reference |
|---|---|
| The Bone Tool | U.S. Patent 6,007,496; Design Patent D744,649 |
| The Hip Tool & TSY Shoulder Plate | U.S. Patent 6,607,561 |
| The Bone Saver / Tissue Collection Apparatus | U.S. Patent 6,872,184; Design Patent D748,776 |
| Tapered Trephine Instrumentation | U.S. Patent 8,382,762 |
| Targeting Guide | U.S. Patent 9,566,053 |
| Piranha Technology | U.S. Patent 9,649,124 |
| Harrier / Falcon / Talon / Eagle / Vulture (Burrs of Prey) | Design Patent D701,308; U.S. Patent 10,080,569 |
| The Egret | Design Patent D749,217 |
| Beacon Biomass Harvesting Trephine / Biomass Delivery Curette | Design Patent D808,009 |
| Cannula / Introducer Instrumentation | Design Patent D724,200 |
| Biomass Delivery Trephine | Patent Pending |
Dr. Brannon's clinical research proposes that oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) — the same LDL byproduct implicated in cardiovascular plaque formation — plays a major role in both osteoarthritis (OA) and avascular necrosis (AVN), a finding OSI describes as challenging firmly held beliefs about the differences between the two diseases and as the scientific foundation for its entire product line.
Brannon JK. “Nontraumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head: endoscopic visualization of its avascular burden.” Orthopedics, 2012.
Lowry JK & Brannon JK. “Avascular Necrosis of the Femoral Head in Patients with Negative MRI: A Case Series of Core Decompression and Endoscopic Evaluation.” Mid-Central States Orthopaedic Society Annual Meeting, Catoosa, OK, 2006.
In 2002, Dr. Brannon developed the technique of endoscopically guided core decompression and thorough debridement of the femoral head — demonstrating intraoperatively that healthy blood flow can remain in the femoral head after thorough debridement, and that surgical revascularization may not be necessary in the treatment of avascular necrosis. His endoscopic observations of calcified marrow spaces within the femoral head, and his refusal to dismiss those findings as artifact, led him to repeatedly confirm AVN on histopathology — research that OSI credits with challenging conventional beliefs about the relationship between OA and AVN.
Awarded to OSI for the Piranha Technology and Burrs of Prey — technologies personally invented and patented by Dr. Brannon.
Under Dr. Brannon's leadership, OSI achieved ISO 13485 Medical Device Quality Management System certification, formalizing the quality infrastructure supporting the company's FDA-regulated manufacturing operations.
Dr. Brannon serves as OSI's primary point of contact for federal procurement, teaming, and clinical partnership inquiries.