His devices have been implanted in hundreds of thousands of patients and his surgical system has become the foundation for many of the modern surgical treatments used for major spinal disorders. Dr. Michelson has over 900 issued or pending patents worldwide. In 2005, Dr. Michelson assigned ownership of much of his spine-related intellectual property to Medtronic, Inc. Dr. Michelson’s Found Animals foundation sponsors The Michelson Prize in Reproductive Biology.