PFI-TT: Commercializing a Passive Orthopedic Implant that Distributes Movement Between Tendons

这一创新伙伴关系--技术转化(PFI-TT)项目的广泛影响/商业潜力是三方面的。首先，在社会影响方面，该项目将开发生物医学植入物，使接受重建矫形手术的患者能够获得更好的手术结果和生活质量。重要的是，这些植入物是被动的-也就是说，它们不使用外部电源、信号、电机或电子设备。拟议的技术不同于现有的解决方案，如假肢、矫形器和外骨骼，因为植入物使患者在虚弱的创伤后能够更好地利用自己的肌肉。其次，该项目可能为骨科植入物的新市场铺平道路，当植入物安装在肌腱上时，能够重新设计身体内的力和运动传递。第三，这个团队将教育和培训下一代工程专业的学生，使其成为新型生物医学植入物商业化的领导者，并将开展活动，增加妇女、代表性不足的少数群体和残疾人的参与。拟议的项目将推动用于重建整形外科的植入式被动装置的开发。具体地说，有许多手部手术将多条肌腱刚性缝合在一块肌肉上。这种手术只能部分恢复手的功能。该项目将开发一种植入物，当手术插入生物屈肌腱之间时，即使所有四个手指只由一块肌肉驱动，也将显著提高患者的握手能力。该项目的学术价值有两个方面。首先，这项工作将发展设计、制造和验证毛孔的科学，这些毛孔鼓励植入物和肌腱之间的长期附着。其次，该团队还将设计、制造和验证一种无污染涂层，这种涂层可以减少疤痕组织的形成，增加植入物的光滑度。该项目考虑了减少植入物外表面疤痕的需要，同时使肌腱细胞能够迁移到植入物的毛孔中进行长期附着。预计该项目可能会产生设计和制造技术，以增强肌腱与植入物的附着，并减少对植入物的不良生物反应。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation--Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project is three-fold. First, in terms of societal impact, the project will develop biomedical implants that enables better surgical outcomes and quality of life for patients that undergo reconstructive orthopedic surgeries. Importantly, these implants are passive---that is, they do not use external power, signals, motors, or electronics. The proposed technology is different from existing solutions such as prostheses, orthoses, and exoskeletons as the implants enable the patient to make better use of their own muscle after a debilitating trauma. Second, the project may pave the way for a new market for orthopedic implants that, when mounted on tendons, enable re-engineering the force and movement transmission within the body. Third, this team will educate and train the next generation of engineering students to become leaders in commercializing novel biomedical implants and will conduct activities to increase the participation of women, under-represented minorities, and persons with disabilities.The proposed project will advance the development of an implantable passive device for use in reconstructive orthopedic surgery. Specifically, there are many hand surgeries where multiple tendons are rigidly sutured to one muscle. Such surgeries only partially restore hand function. This project will develop an implant which, when surgically inserted between biological flexor tendons, will significantly improve hand grasping capability for patients even if all four fingers are driven by only one muscle. The project’s intellectual merit is two-fold. First, the work will develop the science for the design, fabrication, and validation of pores that encourage long-term attachment between the implant and the tendon. Second, the team will also design, fabricate, and validate a non-fouling coating that reduces scar tissue formation and increases the implant’s slickness. The project considers the needs to reduce scarring on the implant's exterior surface while enabling tendon cells to migrate into the implant's pores for long-term attachment. It is expected that the project may produce design and fabrication techniques to enhance tendon-implant attachment and reduce adverse biological response to implanted materials.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.