Spinal research gains European backing

Improving treatments for spinal fracture is the focus for a new €3 million research project, led by Prof Richard M Hall of the Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (iMBE) at the University of Leeds.

The EU-funded research will look mainly at problems caused by aging, but will also consider better treatments for spinal damage caused by trauma and cancer.

“As we age, our bones get weaker and the front portion of the spine can begin to collapse, causing the stoop sometimes seen in elderly people, explains Professor of Spinal Biomechanics Richard Hall.

“This can be extremely painful and have a major impact on peoples quality of life. As more people live longer, improving how we treat such conditions to keep people active and pain free is increasingly important.

The researchers will analyse issues and problems with current treatments and look for areas where they can be improved, such as adapting the cements injected into the vertebrae to stabilise the fracture and reduce pain.

Metal plates are also used in some cases to stabilise fractures, but as bone continues to weaken, plates can loosen causing damage to surrounding tissue. The research will consider new ways of fixing the plates to ensure a longer lasting connection.

Consultant Neurosurgeon Jake Timothy of the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, one of the associate partners in the project, says: “As patients are living longer and treatment of osteoporosis and cancer is improving, spinal fixation in this group of patients is becoming increasingly challenging. This project will help us use modern technology to overcome these difficult issues and ultimately improve patient care.

The four-year project includes academic collaborators from the universities of Bern, Hamburg and Vienna and industrial partners BoneSupport, Ulrich Medical and Anybody Technology. The research will include both experimental mechanics and computational modelling to predict how different materials will behave in the body.