Orthopedics This Week | December 5, 2017 | Page 15

ORTHOPEDICS THIS WEEK VOLUME 13, ISSUE 38 | DECEMBER 5, 2017 award from the New Jersey Research and Development Council for their invention of piezoelectric material, which produces an electrical charge in response to a mechanical force. The group’s repair strategy is to build a piezoelectric scaffold with neural cells to try to regenerate nerve tissue in spi- nal cord injuries. “Axons—the nerve fibers that trans- mit messages—can potentially travel long distances if given the right cues to regrow. We knew that an electri- cal charge could direct this growth,” Arinzeh said, adding, “Some tissues in the body are naturally piezoelectric. What we did was to create a fibrous material that is similar, but with a high- er charge to stimulate growth.” The Department of Defense, which seeks research into remedies for trau- matic battle injuries, learned of the scaf- folds. Arinzeh understood and shared the department’s concern. “There is 15 no effective treatment for severe spinal cord injuries, and soldiers can remain completely paralyzed for the rest of their lives,” she noted. job will be to restore existing cells by stimulating them to extend their axons. With funding from the agency, the tech- nology is being tested at several loca- tions. One is the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, where Arinzeh is working with Mary Bunge, Ph.D., a neuroscientist, and her former student. The Miami Project is currently in phase I clinical trials with humans as well. They are testing the use of Schwann cells for spinal cord repair. By combining those cells with piezoelectric scaffolds, “we hope to improve the cells’ survival and their effectiveness when implanted into the spinal cord,” Arinzeh says. They are injecting Schwann cells from the peripheral nervous system, which produces the myelin sheath around nerve axons, in combination with the piezoelectric scaffold. Other testing is examining the efficacy of injecting Schwann cells from the peripheral nervous system, which pro- duce the myelin sheath around nerve axons, in combination with the piezo- electric scaffold, for spinal cord repair. Their hope is that the Schwann cells’ IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR REAL RESULTS, LOOK INWARD. Human Trials Bridge a 5mm Gap “The nice thing about Schwann cells is that they’re readily accessible from low- risk sites like limbs. I think of them as ‘facilitator cells’ because they provide the signals that prompt axons to grow and reach their targets which are other neurons,” she adds. In the pre-clinical studies, Arinzeh found that implanted scaffolds with Schwann cells would extend themselves over a 5mm gap in the spinal cord. “The 4WEB Medical pioneered titanium 3D-printed implant technology, and others have since rushed their own titanium ring designs to market. But the truss geometry at the heart of our kinetic implants is still ours and ours alone. Make it yours, and see what real innovation can do for you and your patients. FUSING ORTHOPEDICS AND STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING T: (800) 285-7090 4WEBMEDICAL.COM Advertisement ryortho.com | 1-888-352-1952