�鶹��Ѱ�����

Engineer and doctor take medical device from �鶹��Ѱ�����accelerator to commercialization��

Jacob Segil and Dr. Omer Mei-Dan were enjoying a celebratory dinner in 2018 when the idea for their newest commercialization success struck.

“We were celebrating the sale of our first company at a restaurant. Mei- Dan grabbed a napkin and just started sketching an idea for a new project,” said Segil, a research professor in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering. “He said he wanted it this way, with these features, and we just got to work on it right away.”

Segil and Mei-Dan, a surgeon and professor in the Department of Orthopedics at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine, are the architects behind a redesigned surgical instrument called the CAP-LIFT cannula.

The device has completely transformed arthroscopic procedures in the hip region, making them safer and more efficient. In fact, Mei-Dan said the next-generation cannula has been a catalyst for hundreds of successful hip arthroscopy surgeries nationwide since its launch in August 2025.

But like many engineering projects, achieving real-world impact doesn’t just happen overnight.

“It began as a self-funded project on campus, where we were building prototypes and trying to envision how it could be used in surgery,” Segil said, pulling out a clear bag filled with different iterations of the CAP-LIFT cannula. “Each one of us would bring different perspectives to the table so that together we could make the best product possible.”

When the two finally came up with the right design, they submitted the technology and won �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder’s Lab Venture Challenge (LVC) in 2020. Segil said the annual innovation competition, which supports top projects throughout the �鶹��Ѱ�����system with large grants to help translate research into successful business ventures, was a crucial early milestone in their endeavor.

From there, Segil and Mei-Dan used the LVC award to help push the device into human trials. By working alongside the Colorado Multiple Institutional Review Board, the two were able to produce units that could be used directly by Mei-Dan in the operating room, improving surgical safety and efficacy right away while beginning to collect real-life data.

“We were testing the different iterations of this product for the past five years in my practice,” Mei-Dan said. “The clinical yield was so significant I no longer wanted to perform a procedure without it. I’ve probably used it in over 1,000 total cases.”

According to Segil, the data was strong and the device was functioning so well that it caught the attention of multiple medical device manufacturers as a potential game-changing acquisition for their portfolio.

After weighing the options, the two decided Smith & Nephew, a global medical technology company with a strong presence in sports medicine, was the perfect match.

“They had a great understanding of our product,” said Segil. “They were able to take our designs, get them ready for commercialization and steer the marketing and sales side of things in a way that made us confident.”

Segil and Mei-Dan stayed involved throughout the manufacturing process, playing critical roles in product design, engineering support and even product demonstrations.

But seeing their invention reach commercial success was merely a bonus. For Mei-Dan, the real highlight was the impact they had on both surgeons and patients alike.

“We developed this product because we felt there was a major need within the field,” Mei-Dan said. “We weren’t envisioning commercial success. We just wanted to create something that works well in my hands, that would improve a surgeon’s work and be better for patient outcomes.”

Take a deep dive into the technology