"NSERC/Medtronic Industrial Research Chair in Spine Biomechanics/Chaire de recherche industrielle CRSNG-Medtronic en biomécanique de la colonne vertébrale"

脊柱是我们身体的一个复杂而核心的组成部分，参与平衡姿势、运动和保护脊髓。严重的脊柱畸形、创伤和退行性疾病一般采用脊柱内固定手术进行融合。这是一种广泛的侵入性手术，永久性地限制了脊柱节段的运动，并在融合节段和未融合节段之间的交界处以及结构内部施加了额外的压力，特别是在骨-种植体界面和致密的结构中。尽管在过去的几十年里，生物医学技术有了很大的进步，但脊柱手术仍然非常有侵入性，而技术仍然主要是经验性的和特定于外科医生的。这是一个不发达的领域，工程研究对于提高脊柱生物力学知识至关重要。这个 其目的是更好地了解其发病机制和治疗基础，目的是开发设计更好、侵入性更小、更有效的新一代器械技术。这个工业研究教席第二任期的研究计划将解决骨科医生在治疗不同的脊柱病理时所面临的基本、技术和实际问题。研究活动的目的是开发和应用生物力学工程方法：1)开发模拟工具，旨在改进脊柱器械，提供脊柱手术和性能的术前计划、术中指导和术后分析；2)开发和验证新型微创无融合装置和脊柱畸形的治疗；3)提高对脊柱三维平衡的理解，以探索手术后的状况，同时发展外科手术。 指导方针。总之，主席的成果和技术成就将是目前正在进行的竞争中的主要资产，该竞赛旨在掌握脊柱生物力学和相关技术的先进知识，开发侵入性更小的最佳手术，为加拿大患者、生物医学行业和社会带来所有预期的经济利益。

The spine is a complex and central component of our body, involved in posture equilibrium, movements, and protection of the spinal cord. Severe spinal deformities, trauma, and degenerative conditions are generally treated with spinal instrumentation surgery involving fusion. This is an extensive and invasive procedure that permanently restricts motion of spinal segments and places additional stress on the junction between fused and unfused segments and within the construct, especially at the bone-implant interface and in dense constructs. Despite significant improvements in biomedical technologies over the last decades, spinal surgeries remain very invasive while techniques continue to be mostly empirical and surgeon-specific. This is an underdeveloped area where engineering research is crucial to improve knowledge of spine biomechanics. The aim of which is to better understand its pathomechanisms and treatment fundamentals with the purpose to develop new generations of better designed, less-invasive, and more efficient instrumentation technologies. The research program of the 2nd term of this Industrial Research Chair will address fundamental, technological, and practical problems faced by orthopedic surgeons when treating different spinal pathologies. The research activities aim to develop and apply biomechanical engineering methods to: 1) Develop simulation tools aimed at improving spinal instrumentation and providing pre-operative planning, intra-operative guidance, and post-operative analysis of spinal surgeries and performance;2) Develop and validate novel minimally invasive fusionless devices and treatments of spinal deformities; and 3) Improve understanding of the 3 dimensional balance of spine to explore post-surgical conditions and, concurrently, develop surgical guidelines. In summary, the results and technological achievements of the Chair will represent major assets in the competition now underway to master advance knowledge of spine biomechanics and related technologies, and develop less invasive and optimal surgeries with all the expected economic benefits to the Canadian patients, biomedical industry, and society.