I-Corps: Spine Fusion Implant made from a Tough Piezoelectric Composite Biomaterial

University Of Kansas Center For Research Inc, Lawrence KS

Investigators

Abstract

The project will demonstrate the technological and commercial feasibility of using piezoelectric composite materials as spinal fusion implants capable of providing electrical stimulation. Previous researchers have attempted to use piezoelectric materials in the body; however they have often relied on hard and brittle ceramic materials that are not well suited to the environment found inside the human body. Initial studies also did not incorporate the electronic circuitry required to convert the power generated by a piezoelectric material into a form the body is capable of using. Furthermore, the thickness of piezoelectric materials is typically limited due to the need to pole the specimens. This step requires the use of large electric field strengths, which for thick specimens require prohibitively large voltage sources, making it difficult to produce the thicknesses required for a fusion cage. An innovation developed as a result of previous NSF funding has resulted in a manufacturing technique capable of producing large scale piezoelectric composites that are suitable for implantation. This research will result in the creation of an implant that could drastically improve the lives of patients suffering from low back pain. In a market that is currently dominated by commodity products, this could be a truly disruptive technology that fulfills a large patient need. Current adjunct therapies are effective but add tremendous cost and have substantial negative side effects. The piezoelectric fusion implant should be yield success rates comparable to a regular implant plus adjunct therapy, result in fewer negative side effects, and reduce overall patient healthcare costs. Furthermore, the tough piezoelectric composite technology can also be used for many other applications both in and outside of healthcare, and allows the creation of large scale, tough piezoelectric structures previously not considered possible.