World-first technology from Cambridge experts could transform hip replacements
World-first technology that could transform the future of hip replacement technology is being pioneered by experts in Cambridge.
A £1.4million award has been given to the team to develop their ‘smart’ joint ‘trial liner’, which features thin and flexible sensors to help surgeons with the accurate positioning of implants.
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) awarded the money to help the team make hip surgery more precise and deliver longer-lasting outcomes for patients.
The sensors, based on novel microfluidic technology developed in the University of Cambridge’s (UoC’s) Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, are embedded in the trial liner.
They measure forces passing through the joint to help the surgeon assess and balance the soft tissues.
Once the wireless surgical aid has completed the measurements, the surgeon marks the ideal position for the implant, removes the smart trial liner and completes the operation.
More than two million total hip replacements (THRs) are performed annually, with the numbers on the rise as lifespans increase.
But there are no existing technologies that can deliver readings like this during an operation and in real-time. Instead surgeons balance the joint based on feel and anatomical landmarks.
With the patient demographic also shifting towards younger people, the implants need to withstand higher stresses and last longer to avoid a vicious circle of revision surgery and greater dissatisfaction.
The clinical initiative is being led by consultant orthopaedic surgeon Vikas Khanduja, chief investigator from Cambridge University Hospitals.
In 2021, he was awarded the Hunterian Professor Award for the innovative work.
Mr Khanduja, who is the clinical and research lead of the young adult hip service and affiliate associate professor at the University of Cambridge, said: “We are incredibly grateful to the NIHR for this grant and extremely proud to have won it.
“It will fund a two-year project to help us collect the data needed to complete key product development milestones to further this technology’s path out of the lab and into the clinic.”
The team has a prototype validated in the laboratory and in other tests but the grant will help them finalise the design and comply with regulations before it is tested in a patient.
Sohini Kar-Narayan, professor of device materials at the University of Cambridge, said: “It has been a truly exciting journey so far in designing and developing a novel force sensing technology in my lab with a fantastic and dedicated team, resulting in a prototype device that can potentially measure and help balance forces during total hip replacement surgeries.
“The team is really looking forward to this next phase of product development that will see us move towards an actual product that is fit for clinical use, and that has the potential to revolutionise joint replacement surgery.”
Prof Kar-Narayan is overseeing the technology development with Cambridge biophysicist and translational scientist, Dr Jehangir Cama, who is leading on translational and commercialisation activities.
Following the Invention for Innovation (i4i) Product Development Award, Dr Cama said: “The funding will bring together wide-ranging expertise to help us further develop our prototype, thereby bringing this novel technology ever closer to clinical use.”
Their work is also supported by consultant clinical scientist and CUH head of clinical engineering, Prof Paul White, with further input from NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre science communication and patient/public engagement strategist Dr Amanda Stranks, in the university’s Office for Translational Research, and commercialisation director at Cambridge Enterprise, Dr Terry Parlett.
The underlying sensor technology intellectual property has been protected via a patent application filed by Cambridge Enterprise, which lists Prof Kar-Narayan, Mr Khanduja and Dr Cama amongst its inventors.
With business partner and translational expert Dr Alex Samoshkin, they have incorporated ArtioSense Limited, which could commercialise the technology and they have produced a film about the invention.
Dr Parlett explained: “The awarding of this grant will provide a tremendous boost to help bring this innovative technology from bench to bedside. This is a fantastic example of Cambridge’s entrepreneurial clinicians, academics and their institutions working together with forward-looking funders to create a positive impact for markets, society and importantly patients.”
Prof Miles Parkes, director of the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, said: “It has the potential to deliver a sophisticated technical solution to a major clinical need and represents a complex collaboration between surgeons and clinical engineering innovation at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, a local subcontractor (Springboard), which specialises in device development, the Department of Material Sciences and Metallurgy in the University of Cambridge and the Office for Translational Research.”
Dr Silvana Cossins, NIHR i4i senior programme manager, said: “We are pleased to support this innovative project that aims to benefit patients undergoing hip replacements.”
The NIHR Invention for Innovation (i4i) programme is a translational research funding scheme aimed at medical devices, in vitro diagnostic devices, and digital health technologies that address existing or emerging health or social care needs.
