Heart of Carbon

Dr. Jack Bokros was employed as a Senior Research Engineer at Atomics International from 1955 to 1958. In 1958, he joined the staff of General Atomic Company to study materials for use in high-temperature gas-cooled reactors. Dr. Bokros received his doctorate at the University of California. He was a member of the Scientific Laboratory Group of the Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Michigan, where he conducted basic studies of phase transformation in metals, and then in 1963, he rejoined the staff at General Atomic Company in San Diego. During that time, he conducted basic and applied research into the preparation, structure and properties of carbon coatings and graphite and was concerned with the effects of fast neutron irradiation on these materials.  Subsequently, Dr. Bokros conducted basic and applied studies of carbonaceous materials for use in bioengineering.  The commercialization of this activity led to the formation of CarboMedics, Inc. with Bokros as its President.  In 1980, he established two subsidiaries, Intermedics Orthopedics, Inc. and Calcitek, Inc. to commercialize CarboMedic's porous metal, calcium hydroxyapatite, and carbon biomaterial technologies in the orthopedic and dental fields. In 1989, Bokros formed Carbon Implants, Inc., which was acquired by Medtronic, Inc. in 1994. In April of 1994, he formed the Medical Carbon Research Institute to develop advanced multileaflet cardiac valve prostheses incorporating On-X carbon, an improved and patented form of pyrolytic carbon.  In 2007, Medical Carbon Research Institute, LLC was converted to a C-corp and renamed On-X Life Technologies, Inc.

Timeline of Events/Overview.- Nuclear Foundations.- Origin and Characterization of Medical Carbons.- Gott's Early Experience - A Lesson in Serendipity.- First Carbon Heart Valve Replacement.- First All-Carbon Mitral Valve Replacement.- Monoleaflet Tilting Disc Valves.- First Bileaflet Valve: St Jude Medical Start-up.- General Atomic Medical Products Division.- Carbomedics Gets Acquainted With Intermedics.- Carbomedics Moves to Austin Texas.- The Hemex Venture.- The St Jude Medical Litigation.- Broadening the Horizon.- Two Valves for China.- Negotiating Chinese Joint Venture.- European Company Buys Intermedics.- Medtronic Venture: Carbon Implants.- The Agreement.- Medtronic Clinical Trial.- Medical Carbon Research Institute/On-X Life Technologies.- Valve Design.- Clinical Trials.- Design Validation.- Studies Concurrent With FDA Trials.- Understanding Cardiac Blood Flow.- Investigating the Viability of Bioprostheses.- On-X Valve Implantability.- Selling the On-X Valve.- The Video.- Cryolife Buys On-X Life Technologies.- Mervyn Williams' South African Trial Results.- Summary and Reflections.