Kyoto, Japan-based Kyocera Corporation has announced that it has received the President’s Award from the Japan Techno-Economics Society (JATES) for its Aquala surface-processing technology. Developed in collaboration with the University of Tokyo, this technology has been shown to extend the life expectancy of artificial hip joints. According to the company, it remains durable even after long-term testing (equal to more than 70 years in vivo).
Kyocera Honored by Japan Techno-Economics Society
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“Kyocera’s Aquala technology is an advanced bearing material that was designed for use on the acetabular side for artificial hip joints,” said the company. “The technology is engineered to reduce wear, lower friction and optimize lubrication in the hip joint. When used in combination with a femoral head made of Kyocera’s BIOCERAM AZUL advanced ceramic technology, it results in an ultra-low wear, total hip replacement. Aquala helps to reduce the incidence of wear particles generated at the bearing surface of the artificial joint—which can lead to osteolysis, or bone loss—loosening of the joint, and eventually joint failure. With wear reduction of up to 99 percent compared to conventional products, Kyocera’s Aquala technology could potentially provide patients with a ‘lifetime joint’ that reduces the chances of additional surgery due to excessive wear to the implant.”
Providing a bit of background, Makoto Yoshida, general manager of Kyocera Corporation’s Medical R&D Center, Corporate R&D Group, told OTW, “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all those involved in this research and development of artificial joints, which took more than 10 years to complete. We will continue to make use of this collaboration and experience in R&D to bring about new innovations.”
A company representative told OTW, “Kyocera Corporation believes the properties of its crosslinked polyethylene material contribute to much higher wear durability than that attained through conventional materials and technologies.”
The use of Aquala technology in artificial hip joints was approved on April 28, 2011 by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. Since that time over 60,000 patients have undergone joint replacements using Aquala technology.
Aquala is approved for sale only in Japan and currently available only on the Japanese market.
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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.
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