Personalised implants

Advances in 3D printing and the miniaturisation of devices are revolutionising medical technologies, providing the ability to personalise healthcare and improve the wellbeing of people around the world as never before.

The Personalised Implants program is led by the Melbourne School of Engineering, and forms part of the research priorities for the Graeme Clark Institute. The program will focus on personalised orthopaedic (for hip, knee, spine, foot and ankle), cranio-maxillofacial implants, and accompanying surgical instruments and guides.

Prof Peter Lee and his team are leaders in tissue biomechanics with the capability to take an implant design idea, optimise it for the patient’s own biomechanical function and anatomy or for a patient population, virtually prototype it into the patient’s own body, and physically realise it using advanced or traditional manufacturing routes.

Our collaborative research with hospitals and medical manufacturers has been at the forefront of implant development globally, leading to several world-first surgeries using these technologies to replace the heel bone, the jaw joint and the rib cage/sternum.

We are supported by state-of-the-art equipment for additive manufacturing and biomechanical evaluation, such as the Motekforce Link CAREN system, a fully-integrated, six degree-of-freedom motion platform and treadmill, surrounded by immersive virtual reality with high-speed motion capture cameras. The CAREN is a true ‘field-in-a-lab’ system with real-time feedback; it evaluates the patient’s cognitive and physical responses and provides quantitative data for implant design and assessment.

More information:

Program Leader

Professor Peter Lee
pvlee@unimelb.edu.au

David Ackland
dackland@unimelb.edu.au

Case studies

New joint design unlocks improvements for jaw repairs