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Our achievements
Lifespans wins technology prize in Singapore
27 September 2023
Singapore - Lifespans wins a SGD 28,000 prize at Singapore NAMIC (National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Center) Innovation Forum pitch competition for technologies related to 3D printing.
Alfonso patent granted in the United States
30 August 2023
USA - Lifespans received Notice of Allowance (grant) of US patent for Alfonso bone simulation software. Alfonso patents are now in force in the USA (US20200281728A1), China (CN111226220B), and Europe (EP3679494A1, EP3679494A4, EP3679494B1, EP3679494B8), under the umbrella of PCT filing WO2019047099A1.
Patent database entry
Alfonso patent granted in China
20 June 2023
China - Lifespans received notification of the Grant of Chinese patent for Alfonso bone simulation software. Alfonso patents are now in force in China (CN111226220B), Europe (EP3679494A1, EP3679494A4, EP3679494B1, EP3679494B8) and pending in the USA (Application 16/645,424), under the umbrella of PCT filing WO2019047099A1.
Patent database entry
Launch of Alfonso Cloud self-service simulation platform
9 May 2023
Global - Lifespans is proud to announce the launch of Alfonso Cloud - a self-service, particle-based SaaS simulation platform for the orthopaedic implant industry. The first service of its kind, Alfonso Cloud is set to bring an unprecedented level of convenience and flexibility to the development testing of new orthopaedic implant devices.
Visit www.alfonso-cloud.com
ASTM F2077 accepted by an ASTM conference
8 May 2023
Denver, USA - Lifespans was selected to take part in the upcoming ASTM Second Symposium on Fatigue and Fracture of Additively Manufactured Materials and Components. Dr Sloan Kulper will present: A novel mesh-free method for accurately simulating material damage during the compression of porous orthopedic spinal spacers per the ASTM F2077 standard
Visit the Symposium Website
Read the book of abstracts
MedTech Innovator
Semi-Finalist
1 May 2023
Singapore - Lifespans was selected as a semi-finalist for the 2023 MedTech Innovator Asia Pacific startup competition. Finalists will be announced during Q2 2023, with the finals held in Singapore in Q3 2023.
Visit the MedTech Innovator website
Lifespans profiled by RISD Alumni Magazine
24 March 2023
USA - Lifespans co-founder Sloan Kulper was interviewed by the Rhode Island School of Design Alumni Magazine for their “Founders Profile” article series, which discusses the work of entrepreneurs from the RISD alumni community.
ASTM F2077
Validation Paper published
16 March 2023
Global - Lifespans published a validation whitepaper PDF of the world's first particle-based simulation model of ASTM F2077 axial compression of 3D-printed spinals spacers. Please find this whitepaper in the publications section of our website, or click the link below.
Read the whitepaper here (PDF)
Lifespans to exhibit
at AAOS 2023
3 March 2023
Las Vegas – Lifespans demos Alfonso at AAOS 2023. Our one-of-a-kind technology is fast becoming a standard in the industry for R&D, marketing, and patient-specific implant development!
Simulation model of
ASTM F543-A3
24 February 2023
Hong Kong – Our team is proud to announce the world's first fully-validated particle-based simulation model of ASTM F543-A3, available today for simulating orthopedic screw pull-out from standard polyurethane foam via our Alfonso virtual implant testing service.
Read the validation whitepaper
LinkedIn post
Alfonso patent granted by European Patent Office
12 February 2023
Europe – The Lifespans team is proud to announce that our granted patent related to mesh-free simulation of orthopedic implant performance in bone and bonelike materials by the European Patent Office has passed the 9-month public solicitation period. Reaching this milestone solidifies one member of a family of global patents covering the methods that underpin our Alfonso implant testing service.
LinkedIn post
Lifespans at INSEAD
Business School, Singapore
1 February 2023
SINGAPORE – Lifespans CEO Sloan Kulper was invited to give a guest lecture at INSEAD Singapore by Assistant Professor of Strategy Wesley Koo as part of his MBA course on technology entrepreneurship and new technology adoption.
Lifespans wins R&D grant to support Alfonso development
16 December 2022
HONG KONG – Lifespans was awarded a competitive Enterprise Support Scheme R&D grant to support development of its Alfonso implant simulation technology through a program run by the
Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Commission. This grant will offset of a portion of Lifespans R&D expenditures on new software development and physical testing for Alfonso features and validation in advance of regulatory submissions over the coming 18 months.
Hong Kong Awards
for Industries
27 October 2022
HONG KONG – Lifespans was selected by the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park as one of the “top four” among its 1,100+ resident companies to receive the 2022 Technological Achievement Award at the Hong Kong Awards for Industries. Representing Lifespans at the awards ceremony was Dr. Janice Oentaryo, a Scientific Officer and leader of several key R&D initiatives at the firm.
Lifespans exhibits at the Orthopedic Trauma Association 2022 Annual
14 October 2022
TAMPA – In a milestone for the company, Lifespans ran an exhibition that showcased Alfonso: The future of Implant Simulation at the Orthopedic Trauma Association annual congress. Concurrent with the NASS exhibition in Chicago, Lifespans was represented by Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Erica Ueda Boles, who led a team including staff engineers Abbas Alvi and Katie Whiffin.
Lifespans exhibits at the
North American Spine Society
2022 Annual
12 October 2022
CHICAGO – Lifespans returned to NASS this year to showcase Alfonso’s updated capabilities to the spine implant community at their premiere annual event. Lifespans was represented by CEO Dr. Sloan Kulper, joined by VP of Sales John Dieterly and Dr. Janice Oentaryo, who ran the company booth concurrently with the company’s exhibition at OTA in Tampa, Florida.
Medtech Forum
Asia Pacific 2022
Patient Futures 2025
27 September 2022
Lifespans was selected as a finalist company for MedTech Forum Investor Day, run by APACMed, Asia's largest medical device industry group.
Lifespans co-chairs Symposium on Simulation
at ISTA 2022
31 August 2022
MAUI – The International Society for Technology in Arthroplasty selected Lifespans CEO Dr. Sloan Kulper to
chair the “Computer modelling & simulation mini-symposium” at its 2022 annual congress in Maui, Hawaii.
The symposium featured podium presentations by some of the leading academic and industry research
teams in the orthopaedics field.
Co-chairing the event Dr. Jeff Bischoff, Director of Biomechanics Research at ZimmerBiomet, and Professor
Paul Rullkoetter from the Center of Orthopaedic Biomechanics at the University of Delaware.
ISTA 2022 Website
Alfonso featured on
The Pitch by OTW
24 May 2022
ONLINE – Orthopedics This Week featured Alfonso as one of the hot up and coming technologies in the orthopedics industry during their
“Shark Tank” online business plan pitch competition. Judges included industry luminaries Audrey Beckman,
Scot Bruder, and Mike Sherman, who interviewed Lifespans CEO
Sloan Kulper about the new
possibilities opened by Alfonso in
the implant development space.
Orthoinsider Q&A with Sloan Kulper on Alfonso
24 May 2022
ONLINE – Orthoinsider, an industry newsletter run by UK-based Orthopedic Consulting Group, interviewed Lifespans CEO Sloan Kulper regarding the launch of Alfonso. In a Q&A session, Dr. Kulper reveals some of the history of the idea for Alfonso, the responses from customers in the implant industry, and the company’s vision for the future.
Lifespans to launch Alfonso Cloud SaaS at AAOS 2022
23-25 March 2022
CHICAGO - Lifespans makes return appearance to the academy as an exhibitor in the 2022 American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) annual meeting. This year we are proud to present our new Alfonso Cloud SaaS platform, an online system that provides our customers with access to the power and convenience of Alfonso simulations 24 hours a day, and allows customers to seamlessly share simulation models and results across divisions of their company.
Presentation @ Orthopaedic Trauma Association 2021
30 October 2021
DALLAS FORT WORTH - Presentation of paper at the 2021 Orthopedic Trauma Association annual meeting: A novel mesh-free method for accurately simulating the crushing and cracking behaviour of trabecular bone tissue with a wide range of clinically relevant bone mineral density values.
Kulper, S. A., Lin, T.H, Ren, X., Coombs, D. J., Bushelow, M., Fang, E., Alvi, A. A., Ueda, E. A., Zhang, T., Fang, C. X.
Lifespans, Ltd., The University of Hong Kong, Tongji University, DePuy Synthes, Queen Mary Hospital
Lifespans wins 2021 ATEC business plan competition
25 September 2021
HONG KONG - Lifespans wins the 2021 Business Plan Competition hosted by the Asia Technology Entrepreneurship Conference (ATEC) - the largest university alumni-club led technology conference and startup competition in Asia. Founded by the Hong Kong and South China university and business school alumni clubs of Harvard, Columbia, MIT and Stanford.
Click here to watch our winning pitch by Dr. Erica Ueda Boles.
Three Lifespans leadership speaking events
01 - 31 March 2021
HONG KONG - Lifespans leadership participated as panel speakers at MIT Sloan Asian Business Conference with Johnson & Johnson, the RISD Entrepreneurship Pitch event, and the 2021 Broadcom Asia Pacific Workshop through HKU Biomedical Engineering.
Grant awarded to Dr. Fang for Lifespans Tensegrity
01 February 2021
HONG KONG - Lifespans co-founder A/Prof Christian Fang received an ITSP Seed Grant titled “Pre-Clinical Validation of a Novel Tensegrity-Based Orthopaedic Implant Technology Platform for Elderly Osteoporotic Bone" (ITS/304/20), which will run over the course of 2020-2021.
Lifespans co-founders join HKU BME teaching faculty
15 October 2020
HONG KONG - Lifespans CEO (Sloan Kulper PhD and Chief Scientific Officer (Erica Ueda-Boles PhD), are appointed as adjunct professors to HKU Programme in Biomedical Engineering, where they will advise senior year theses and lecture on device development.
Patent granted for
Lifespans Soft Tip
26 August 2020
WORLDWIDE - The Lifespans Soft Tip technology patent (United States Patent US10799277B2, Based on PCT Application No. PCT / CN2016 / 078336, “ANTI-PENETRATION BONE IMPLANT DEVICE AND METHOD”) was granted by the US Patent Office.
Lifespans profiled by the HKU Faculty of Medicine
01 July 2020
HONG KONG - Lifespans was featured as an “Emerging Changemaker,” with a profile of CEO Sloan Kulper in the most recent issue of Medical Faculty News. The magazine, published by the University of Hong Kong LKS Faculty of Medicine, discussed the impact of young professorial staff and entrepreneurs in the fields of medicine and medical technology.
* Lifespans profile in Medical Faculty News
[Link to PDF]
* Full issue of Medical Faculty News
[Link to PDF]
Lifespans Bone Simulator featured on Orthostreams
11 June 2020
WORLDWIDE - Our recently-posted video introducing the Lifespans Bone Simulator has caught the eye of Orthostreams - a leading trade newsletter for the orthopaedics industry by maverick recruiter Tiger Buford. In a feature article on the Orthostreams website, the Lifespans Bone Simulator is presented as a clever new tool for completing implant development and testing by engineers working remotely - as well as offering a new kind of hybrid software-hardware product in the future for clinics to make surgical decisions and prepare custom implants tailored to patients’ needs. Read more below!
Top-10 ortho companies use Lifespans Bone Simulator
21 June 2020
WORLDWIDE - Lifespans kicks off the soft launch of the Lifespans Bone Simulator, providing virtual implant testing services through consulting contracts / R&D agreements with four out of the top-10 orthopaedic implant manufacturers.
APACMed Startup Edition news profiles Lifespans
29 May 2020
SINGAPORE - APACMed, the leading medical technology industry association for the Asia-Pacific, has featured Lifespans in its May Startup Edition newsletter, including an interview with the Lifespans CEO and co-founder Sloan Kulper. Lifespans continues to be an active member in APACMed, frequently exhibiting at events held by the association throughout Asia.
* Read the APACMed Startup Edition newsletter (PDF) - Lifespans profile begins on page 4
Lifespans begins Hong Kong Science Park tenancy
25 May 2020
HONG KONG - Lifespans has joined the Hong Kong Science & Technology Park as an tenant of their newly-launched iAXON Deep Tech Incubator at the University of Hong Kong. The Lifespans team is excited to be part fo the continued growth of a lively community of startups in HKSTP and HKU. As a member of the Biomedical Technology Cluster, Lifespans also becomes eligible for a number of support schemes ranging from R&D staff subsidies to investment aid.
HKMHDIA webinar features Lifespans Bone Simulator
May 2020
HONG KONG - The Lifespans Bone Simulator was a featured technology as part of the HKMHDIA (Hong Kong Medical and Healthcare Device Industries Association) webinar, “Technologies Match Now,” an online forum where new medical device technologies show case new innovations.
* Hong Kong Medical and Healthcare Device Industries Association website
Feature story in issue of HKU Bulletin
11 November 2019
HONG KONG - Lifespans was the subject of a feature story in the campus magazine of the University of Hong Kong, covering the technologies and recent awards of the company as well as ongoing research collaborations with faculty members of the university.
* Lifespans feature story in HKU Bulletin
* HKU Bulletin website
MedTech Innovator selects Lifespans as Top-20 Startup
16 September 2019
SINGAPORE - Lifespans was selected as a showcase startup for the upcoming Medtech Forum Asia event in Singapore, 7-9 October 2019.
MedTech Innovator, “the premier global nonprofit accelerator in the medical technology industry, [which] today announced the 20 companies selected [out of over 160 applicants] to participate in the organization’s Asia Pacific Showcase program, featuring transformative device, diagnostic, and digital health technologies in the Asia Pacific region”
Lifespans a “Rising Talent” in HKU Magazine
31 August 2019
HONG KONG - Lifespans was selected by the University of Hong Kong Development & Alumni Affairs Office as one of five top examples of technology talent among young faculty and alumni to presented to the donor and alumni community at its “From Talent to Tech Landmark Event.” HKU President Zhang Xiang opened ceremonies, followed by presentations by Professors Stephanie Ma, Huang Mingxin, Anderson Shum, and Lifespans’ Sloan Kulper.
* HKU Innotech Website Featuring Lifespans
* HKU Convocation Newsletter
Lifespans wins competitive tech startup grant
29 July 2019
The University of Hong Kong selected Lifespans for a third year of grant funding through their highly selective Technology Startup Support Scheme (TSSSU), bringing the total funds won by Lifespans through this programme to HK$1.7m (US$225,000) over three years.
* HKU press release
* List of winners for 2019-20
Lifespans joins Johnson & Johnson’s biotech incubator
27 June 2019
SHANGHAI - Lifespans is very pleased to announce that it has joined the first group of companies in Johnson & Johnson’s new JLABS@Shanghai biotech startup incubator - the first of it’s kind in Asia!
* Johnson & Johnson press release
* Interview w/ Sharon Chan, Director of JLABS@Shanghai
Photo © Johnson & Johnson
Lifespans represents HK at IMAGINE IF! global finals
25 June 2019
CAMBRIDGE, UK - Lifespans joined the global finals for the 2019 IMAGINE IF! Competition for deep tech startups, having won the Hong Kong regional award.
* IMAGINE IF! is a global accelerator organised by Innovation Forum headquartered in Cambridge, UK.
Research poster award at AO Trauma (APAC) 2019
24 May 2019
TAIPEI - Members of the Lifespans team won a poster award for their original research regarding the Soft Thread (Feng Thread) at the AO Trauma Asia Pacific Conference, held once every two years in a rotating APAC location. AO is the largest global group of dedicated orthopedic and trauma surgeons, researchers, and ORP.
Lifespans represents SEA at Hello Tomorrow 2019 Finals
14 March 2019
PARIS - Lifespans pitched at the Hello Tomorrow Global Summit, representing deep tech startups from the Southeast Asia region after winning the SEA finals in Singapore in November 2018. Hello Tomorrow is an organisation set up to advance science entrepreneurship through its startup challenge, its multiple events around the world and its Global Summit in Paris
HKU Surgical Skills Centre hosts Lifespans workshop
5 March 2019
HONG KONG- A training session was held in preparation for the upcoming first human trial at QMH in collaboration with four HK public hospital surgeons, who described the performance of DTSS Hip Screw as ‘excellent’ regarding cut-through resistance during implantation.
Grand Prize at Hong Kong IMAGINE IF! Competition
16 February 2019
HONG KONG - Lifespans attended the Hong Kong finals of IMAGINE IF! Competition, a global accelerator organised by Innovation Forum headquartered in Cambridge, UK, and won the Grand Prize. As the Hong Kong champion, the team will participate in the Global Final of IMAGINE IF! at the “Health Horizons - Future Healthcare Forum” from 26-27 June 2019 in Cambridge, UK.
* HKU Press Release
First Prize at the HK Cocoon Pitch Competition Finals
13 December 2018
HONG KONG — Lifespans took first runner up and audience choice awards at the finals of the Cocoon Hong Kong startup pitch competition, with an excellent group of other HK and internationally-based startups reaching this final round.
Grand Prize at the Hello Tomorrow ASEAN Finals
28 November 2018
SINGAPORE — Lifespans was awarded the grand prize at the ASEAN Finals of the Hello Tomorrow startup pitch competition for companies focused on solving difficult technical problems with the potential for positive social impact. Competing against a roster of excellent companies in the fields of biotech, AI, and robotics, Lifespans took the top position along with a cash prize and travel funds for team members to compete in Paris at the Hello Tomorrow Global Finals in March 2019.
* HKU Press Release
* Hong Kong press coverage (cantonese)
Lifespans selected for HKU-GDPU biotech incubator
15 November 2018
GUANGDONG — Lifespans selected to join the first cohort of startups in a new biotech incubator created by The University of Hong Kong and the Guangdong Pharmaceutical University. As a qualified spinoff from HKU, startups in this programme will receive a combination of financial incentives, manufacturing space, and regulatory assistance while contributing to the creation of new manufacturing and R&D activity in the Zhongshan development zone.
Speaker at APACMed’s 2018 MedTech Forum Asia
09 October 2018
SINGAPORE — APACMed - the leading association for the medical device industry in the Asia-Pacific region - selected Lifespans as an SME member of the organization to give a 30 minute presentation on our work and plans for the future. Alongside leading medtech startups from across APAC, keynote speakers at the event included the global leadership of Stryker (Kevin Lobo), Johnson&Johnson (Ashley McEvoy), and several other market leaders.
Silver Medal at Hangzhou tech startup competition
06 September 2018
HANGZHOU — Lifespans picked up a Silver Medal in Hangzhou (Gongshu) startup competition, with US$5,000 immediate cash prize and automatic entry into the application process for a US$500,000 grant.
HKU awards Lifespans with a 2nd year of grant support
31 May 2018
HONG KONG — The University of Hong Kong selected Lifespans for a second year of grant funding through their highly selective Technology Startup Support Scheme, bringing the total provided through this programme to HK$1.2m (US$150,000) over two years.
Silver Medal Winner at Inventions Geneva 2018
28 April 2018
GENEVA — Members of the Lifespans founding team were jointly awarded a silver medal at the 46th Salon International des Inventions Geneva for their work on the Lifespans Soft Tip technology, as part of a delegation of universities and research institutions representing the community of inventors and researchers in Hong Kong.
Our publications
One of our guiding principles is our commitment to academia, and our engineering team publishes regularly in leading international journals and congresses.