Joi collaboration between civil engineering and neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh It could change the way spinal fusion surgery is performed and monitored. Amir Alavi, Nitin Agarwal, and D. Cujo Hamilton have received a $352,000 gra from the National Institutes of Health. Their goal is to develop the first self-feeding spinal impla capable of transmitting real-time data from inside the body.
According to the medical technology departme of Tecna news media, this ierdisciplinary project can make the recovery after spinal fusion surgery safer by providing the possibility of remote tracking of the patie’s progress by doctors. This monitoring allows doctors to iervene before complications occur. About one million Americans undergo spinal fusion surgery each year, in which a metal cage and bone graft are used to connect two vertebrae in the spine.
Agarwal, one of the project’s principal investigators, explained that the implaed hardware is currely monitored through X-rays and patie-reported symptoms. This approach requires paties to visit in person and expose them to radiation. He added that because doctors and paties can’t easily monitor the spine’s healing process, there isn’t a seamless healthcare experience.
Although implaable wireless devices that monitor medical procedures are becoming more common, these devices require batteries and electronic compones to transmit signals. This dependence makes them not permane and have a limited lifespan. Amir Alavi, the main researcher of this project, turned to an unexpected field to find a better solution. He used technology he had previously developed to monitor bridge infrastructure.
During his PhD, Alavi built sensors that generate their own energy and send signals about changes in the physical properties of bridges. These sensors alert authorities to structural weaknesses before more serious damage occurs. Alavi found that this technology could also be adapted to work on a patie’s spine.
He explained that this new system has no batteries, aennas or electronics inside the body. By combining metamaterial design and nano energy harvesting, implas have been made completely without batteries and electronics. These implas supply their energy through electrical coact. They are adapted to each patie and transmit signals wirelessly like a small router inside the body.
Using new man-made composites known as metamaterials, Alavi’s team has created structures consisting of single cells of differe sizes. By ierweaving conductive and non-conductive materials, they optimize these structures for energy harvesting and signal transmission when pressure is applied. This unexpected collaboration began in 2023 to iegrate this technology io medical implas.
Alavi stated that they are making cages for spinal fusion surgery that have natural and iernal ielligence like human cells. These cages are placed between two vertebrae and while providing stability, they also monitor the healing process. If the spine is healing, the bone will start to bear more load and the signal generated by the impla will naturally decrease.
He noted that the signal is stronger immediately after surgery because the vertebral endplates exert more pressure on the cage, resulting in more energy being generated. These signals are received through an electrode on the patie’s back and transmitted to the cloud. Real-time analysis of these signals allows medical ierveion before more serious damage occurs.
Alavi also used generative artificial ielligence to generate unique metamaterial designs for each patie’s spine, speeding up the process dramatically. His team can scan the patie’s spine and then design and pri the cage to fit perfectly. This metamaterial system has complete corol over stiffness and more importaly the ability to generate energy.
Researchers are now working on using this energy for electrical stimulation as well. Alavi and Agarwal have tested these cages in a lab setting and the technology works well. With the support of the National Institute of Health, this team will conduct in vivo experimes using animal models. Agarwal stated that if successful, the next step would be human testing.
