Dr. Marko Bodor through the Bodor Clinic and the Napa Medical Research Foundation is pioneering new techniques in regenerative medicine to keep patients free of pain and off the operating table. Using the patient’s own red blood cell platelets and stem cells, Dr. Bodor is solving problems of the joint, spine, nerve and tendon using ultrasound and minimally invasive procedures. His innovative research is recognized by leading medical institutions, by the many papers he has published, and by his demand as a speaker at national medical conferences.
In addition to his regular practice, Dr. Bodor is Director of Research for the Napa Medical Research Foundation, a non-profit research foundation dedicated to the research and discovery of less invasive methods to improve mobility, decrease pain, and reduce medical costs. Located on Trancas Avenue, the Foundation’s newly completed research laboratory houses state-of-the art equipment to support these vital investigations. Newly developed procedures and treatments are published in peer-reviewed journals for the benefit of the medical community at large. Current clinical studies are examining disc degeneration, carpal tunnel syndrome, cervical facet arthritis, hip rotator cuff and tendon tears and Sever’s disease. The Foundation website is www.NapaMedicalResearch.org and a bi-monthly newsletter is published with the latest findings and updates.
Every day, people suffering from chronic neck, back or joint pain undergo treatments that are nominally effective, invasive and often involve unnecessary surgery. More than 600,000 knee replacements are performed annually in the US and carpal tunnel syndrome surgery is considered the nation’s second most common. While quite costly to the healthcare system and the significant investment of time and cost on the part of the patient, these treatments are often not effective. Dr. Marko Bodor and his fellow world-class researchers, recognize there are more effective, less invasive, less costly ways to address these same problems. Their collaborative efforts are the future of orthopedic and sports medicine. Very often the best answer is not surgery but using the body’s own healing mechanisms to fix the problem.
One of the more common biologic, regenerative treatments currently being administered across the US, Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP), is a focal point of several of Dr. Bodor’s clinical and laboratory-based research studies, and the subject of many sports commentaries. World-class athletes have been in the news praising the effectiveness of PRP. When Golden State Warrior Steph Curry was injured in April 2016, Dr. Bodor explained how the PRP treatment works to San Francisco Chronicle reporters Al Saracevic and Maddie Lee. “Platelets are one of three components in blood, the other two being red blood cells and white blood cells. The purpose of the platelets,” commented Dr. Bodor, “ is to act as first responders at the time of injury. They go to the site of the injury, they adhere to the torn collagen (fiber inside the ligament) and they actually pull it together and hold it together. They attract other cells to assist with the healing process. The platelets work like nano-surgeons to close defects in the tissue.”
Integral to the Napa Medical Research Foundation’s mission, and to Dr. Bodor’s continued success as a world–class researcher, is the sharing of this vital information with the broad medical community. The findings of every clinical study are carefully analyzed by outside sources to verify accuracy and the results submitted to peer-reviewed journals for publication. Over the last year or so, eight of Dr. Bodor’s papers have been published by leading medical journals including Muscle & Nerve, Oxford University Press, and Clinical Medical Reviews and Reports, along with three essential book chapters, one for Elsevier, the world’s leading provider of scientific and medical information. He is somewhat of a celebrity in certain scientific circles, often being invited to present at national and international conferences to share his insights into the use of key biologic treatments and to teach other medical professionals his newly developed procedures.
Together, the clinical findings that reflect the success of the medical treatments and the scientific lab data substantiating it, will lead to the broad acceptance and ultimate incorporation into mainstream orthopedic and sports medicine healthcare. As regenerative medicine makes these incredible breakthroughs in understanding and developing the means to “repair”, there can be less reliance upon replacement at an incredible savings of time and cost to the patient, and to the healthcare system, the world-class researchers who brought us to this point will hopefully already be advancing towards the next medical and scientific horizons.
As Dr. Bodor and the Napa Medical Research Foundation strive to make meaningful contributions to the leading-edge field of regenerative medicine, we can be proud to know it is transpiring right here among Napa’s world-class vines.