"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的中心组成部分，涉及姿势平衡，运动和保护脊髓。严重的脊柱畸形、创伤和退行性疾病通常采用脊柱内固定手术融合治疗。这是一种广泛的侵入性手术，永久性地限制了脊柱节段的活动，并对融合节段和未融合节段之间的连接处以及假体内施加额外的应力，特别是在骨-植入物界面和致密假体处。尽管在过去的几十年里，生物医学技术有了显著的进步，但脊柱手术仍然具有很大的侵入性，而技术仍然主要是经验性的和针对特定外科医生的。这是一个欠发达的领域，工程研究对于提高脊柱生物力学知识至关重要。这个

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.