The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a three-year $150, 000 grant to Adam Hacking, Ph.D., chief scientific officer at Oxford Performance Materials, Inc. The purpose of the grant is to improve the treatment of infections related to artificial hips and knees through applications of 3-D printed poly-ether-ketone-ketone (PEKK).
NIH Grant to Fight Joint Infections
1 min read Premium comments
Secondary
“We are extremely grateful for the NIH support, as well as the peer reviewed process that recognized the magnitude of the clinical problem and the potential for advancement that our approach offers, ” said Hacking. “Device related infections are a burdensome clinical issue that results in prolonged patient suffering, increased mortality, and are expected to cost $12 billion per year by 2015. With this support from the NIH, we have the potential to rapidly advance treatment for bone and joint infections, reduce healthcare costs, reduce patient suffering and improve patient care.”
According to Hacking, “3-D printing has enabled the combination of a load-bearing implantable material, PEKK, with the simplicity, flexibility and availability of perfusable drug delivery systems. Perfusion is a desirable approach since nearly all therapeutics are deliverable in solution.”
Oxford Performance Materials is a leader in 3-D printing and high performance additive manufacturing. It is located in South Windsor, Connecticut.
React:
Discussion
This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
Join the conversation
Orthopedic professionals are discussing this. Sign in and upgrade to read every comment and add your voice.