San Diego-based Scripps Health has earned funding from the National Institutes of Health to develop reportedly the world's first "smart" shoulder replacement implant.
The implant will be designed to continuously and remotely monitor and transmit data about the patient post-procedure, according to a Dec. 5 news release sent to Becker's.
The $317,000 NIH grant will support initial research on the implant, which will be conducted over the next two years at the Shiley Center for Orthopaedic Research and Education at Scripps Clinic in San Diego.
Researchers will design, produce and verify the smart implant prototype and demonstrate proof of concept by testing the device on human cadavers. They will modify an existing shoulder implant by equipping it with advanced sensors and capabilities for data storage, external communication and rechargeable power.
The first surgical implantation of the smart shoulder device in a living patient is likely still a few years away, according to the release.
After the initial two-year funding period, Scripps will seek additional grant funding and develop industry partnerships for clinical studies.
The initiative's co-lead investigators are Darryl D'Lima, MD, PhD, director of orthopedic research at Scripps Health, and Heinz Hoenecke, MD, orthopedic surgeon and researcher at Scripps Clinic.
Additional researchers on the shoulder project include Scott Delp, PhD, James H. Clark professor at the schools of engineering and medicine at Stanford University. Scott Banks, PhD, professor and director of the orthopedic biomechanics laboratory at the University of Florida in Gainesville and B.J. Fregly, PhD., professor at the department of mechanical engineering at Rice University in Houston and a scholar in cancer research with the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas in Austin.