Grant: Industrial Research Chairs

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.