Upcoming/Recent Graduate student presentations, proposals and defenses
Jason Bach , Ph.D. Proposal, Monday, November 16th, 2009, 9:00a.m.,U.A. Whitaker Building, Room 2110
Co-Advisors: David N. Ku, M.D., Ph.D. (Georgia Institute of Technology) and
Mohammed Cherkaoui, Ph.D. (Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Tech Lorraine)
Committee Members: Robert E. Guldberg, Ph.D. (Georgia Institute of Technology),
Rudolph L. Gleason, Ph.D. (Georgia Institute of Technology) and
Laurent Corté, Ph.D. (Centre des Matériaux, Ecole des Minesde Paris, Paristech)
TITLE: “Design and Evaluation of a Prosthetic ACL Replacement Medical Device”
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture is the most common knee ligament injury, afflicting approximately 1 out of 3000 Americans each year. Current treatments are limited to autografts and allografts, both of which are associated with various drawbacks. Autografts are associated with longer recovery times and residual donor site morbidity while allografts are expensive, not readily available, and carry risks of disease transmission. These disadvantages associated with the current treatment options present an opportunity to improve ACL reconstruction by developing a prosthetic ligament medical device alternative.
Multiple prosthetic ACLs have been developed over the past 30 years, however most have failed to exhibit satisfactory long-term physiological and functional performance. Past designs have been prone to either inflammatory particulation or fatigue, creep, and mechanical failure within the first several years after implantation. Poly(vinyl alcohol) PVA has demonstrated potential for a wide variety of applications including cartilage replacement, vein valve replacement, and stent covering. PVA hydrogels have excellent biocompatibility and unique biomechanical properties. It is the overall objective of this project to provide in vitro evidence to support the further development of PVA prosthetic ACL medical devices. Mechanical testing of ACL prototypes consisting of PVA fiber ropes coated with PVA hydrogel glue will evaluate the material for sufficient strength, stiffness, toe region specifications, and resistance to creep and fatigue. Computational modeling and finite element analysis will also be used to help develop design criteria, visualize stress concentrations, and compare the kinematics of uninjured and prosthetic reconstructed knees to evaluate functional restoration.
Preliminary results of mechanical testing indicate that PVA yarns and hydrogels can provide sufficient strength and stiffness for our application. The development of an artificial ACL would significantly advance the fields of ACL surgery as well as knee and ligament biomechanical engineering.
Last revised on November 2nd, 2009