A gain in the neck.(medical equipment and supplies industry)(Brief Article)

Artificial spinal disc attracts $23 million to M.I. company

The world's largest maker of implantable medical devices has joined other backers in investing $23 million in Spinal Dynamics Inc. of Mercer Island, which is set to begin sales of an artificial replacement for injured neck discs.

The company's flexible prosthetic discs -- which are made of a synthetic material similar to Rollerblade wheels -- may offer improved treatment for the nearly 200,000 people a year whose damaged spinal discs are removed and replaced by an inflexible bone graft.

Medtronic Inc. of Minneapolis is the strategic investor that led the company's latest funding round along with money manager The Kaufmann Fund of New York.

Spinal Dynamics president and chief executive Chuck Clark said …