Peking University, May 9, 2023: The Orthopedic Department Director of Peking University Third Hospital, Professor Li Weishi, and his team have made a significant breakthrough in the field of spinal surgery with the first successful implantation of a biomechanically adapted prosthesis. (Editor's note: A prosthesis is a device, either external or implanted, that substitutes for or supplements a missing or defective part of the body.)

This cutting-edge prosthesis was designed to match the bone strength of patients suffering from bone loss, reducing the risk of complications in the early postoperative period such as cage subsidence, intervertebral height loss, nerve compression, low back pain recurrence, and secondary surgery.

Professor Li Weishi is also the director of Peking University’s "Bone and Joint Precision Medicine" Engineering Research Center of the Ministry of Education. He collaborated with Beijing Aikang Yicheng Medical Equipment Co., Ltd. and PKU Professor Zheng Yufeng's team to develop the Osteo Match series. 

Li Weishi

The project received funding from the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission in 2020 and the National Natural Science Foundation of China in 2022. By combining digital bone mineral density measurement technology, 3D printing, and AI-assisted prosthesis structure design technology, the team was able to create and implant the first biomechanically adapted prosthesis.

The Osteo Match series took five years of research and development and has now received registration and approval from the National Medical Products Administration. The future of the series is promising, with plans to develop a system with three functions: "biomechanical adaptation," "biological activity loading," and "AI algorithm assistance." The products will be widely used in the field of spinal surgery, providing innovative surgical specification protocols and a range of new spinal implants. 

Written by: Lang Lang
Edited by: Dennis Meng
Source: PKUTH
Cover photo: Unsplash