Objectives

The objective of NANO-VERTEBRA project is to design and develop a breakthrough innovation in vertebral replacement surgery, preventing the rise of infections while favoring integration of the implant in the host site by taking advantage also of the additive manufacturing technology. This will be achieved by developing a new, 3D-printed Ti6Al4V vertebral prosthesis, with tailored porosity, properly designed to be coated by a nanostructured silver thin film, preventing infection and simultaneously favoring bone reconstruction. NANO-VERTEBRA design will be patient-specific, based on medical imaging and 3D imaging reconstruction, thus ensuring a perfect fit into bone defect, mechanical stabilization under loading, and an enhanced bone growth. NANO-VERTEBRA prosthesis will be developed and manufactured within the project and its efficacy will be validated by in vitro and in vivo tests, paving the way for clinical applications.
                                                                                                                            

To reduce infections and increase patients’ surgical options after spine resection, NANO-VERTEBRA proposes to implement a personalized vertebra prosthesis, by combining nanostructured antibacterial coatings and simultaneous optimization of implant architecture by 3D modeling and additive manufacturing technologies.