Expandable bone graft
This project has been secured to protect intellectual property.
Login for More InformationDesign Award
- Tong Biomedical Design Award Honorable Mention
Project Overview
In some cases in spine surgery it is necessary to perform a bone fusion in the intervertebral space (the space between the 2 vertebral bodies). This is done by removing the intervertebral disc and then placing bone graft. Traditional bone grafts are rectangular or crescent shaped. The graft is placed through a small surgical corridor and needs to be large enough to support the vertebral bodies but not so large that it injures the surrounding nerves. It would be easier and safer to develop an expandable bone graft that could be inserted in a collapsed form and then expanded to fill the disk interspace. The goal of this project would be to develop an expanding interbody bone graft. This has already been done using a mechanical jack design. However, we would like to develop an expandable graft that is similar to a balloon but would be filled with bone graft material. This should be made out of a biomaterial that would allow bone fusion to occur but also would be strong enough to support the biomechanical forces of the spine as healing occurs.
Team Picture
Contact Information
Team Members
- James Dorrance - Team Leader
- Terah Hennick - Communicator
- Taylor Weis - BSAC & BPAG
- Katherine Jeffris - BWIG
Advisor and Client
- Mitchell Tyler - Advisor
- Dr. Nathaniel Brooks - Client