. OCTOBER 10, 2024
Meet the Orthopaedic Innovation Centre, the link between advances in medicine and delivering it to the masses.
If you’re going to put a synthetic joint inside a human being, it better work. It has to fit. It has to move naturally. And it better last. That longevity factor is an outsized variable. So, how long will it last?
Inside a building near Concordia Hospital in Winnipeg, 13 people work in a mechanical lab that spans engineering and medicine. Here, at the Orthopaedic Innovation Centre (OIC), a non-profit, engineers and medical clinicians test synthetic joints and medical implants to make sure they’re perfect enough to enter the healthcare system as a product.
Through a battery of static, dynamic, computational, and wear tests, every new synthetic joint design is put through its paces. Joints are turned, squeezed, flexed and otherwise punished on robotic advanced machinery that repeats movements millions of times. If the joint passes the first test, it enters a different machine that performs a wholly different set of movements. Every device is tested up to 50 million times through this robotic gauntlet.
Testing like this is as important for patients as much as the system itself. Every year, approximately 125,000 Canadians receive a hip or knee replacement. If those joints fail or wear prematurely, it’s a serious blow to quality of life for potentially millions of people. On the macro level, a substandard joint would introduce even more strain to a healthcare system that is already stretched. A failed joint design requires so much to correct. It’s follow-ups and medical imaging; it’s nursing and surgical care; and it’s layers of insurance and administrative costs devoted to correcting an avoidable medical problem.
“It’s vital, of course, but this kind of testing is just the beginning,” says Trevor Gascoyne, President and CEO of the OIC. “Orthopaedic implants have been around a long time but what comes next—with regenerative tissue therapy—will take a lot of rigour and testing before you see it in a hospital.”
He’s referring to the next generation of game-changing medical technology: repairing and regenerating body tissue. Rather than just removing tissue, clinicians are on the verge of manufacturing new tissue to reintroduce to the body, but it can’t be done on day 1. It needs to be ready for a mass launch.
Trevor Gascoyne, President & CEO at Orthopaedic Innovation Centre
Number of Canadians receiving a hip or knee replacement per year.
Those future products carry dizzying potential. Gascoyne believes these tissue therapies, along with lab-generated tissue and 3D printed organs, are on the cusp of becoming fully available in North America. Before they enter the healthcare system, however, they require a thorough vetting.
“We’re uniquely positioned to offer this kind of testing because we operate at the bridge of engineering, medicine, and research,” says Gascoyne.
The shift to this kind of testing may seem like a leap but the OIC is experienced with changing needs and market dynamics. During the pandemic, Canada scoured the globe for protective gear and test kits. When foreign-sourced material dried up due to demand, the OIC shifted gears, helping a Canadian company develop and test homegrown PPE products. It took just two months to set up the OIC’s internal team with the manufacturer. Together, they 3D printed nasal swabs, tested them for efficacy, and produced millions of them for the Canadian government.
Time taken to set up team with manufacturer to develop and test homegrown PPE products.
Recognizing 2020’s failures and the need to create Canadian-made medical products while reducing strain on the health system, NGen stepped in. The funding they provided helped the OIC expand its machinery and lab capability. It helped the OIC market its services to medical device pioneers. That reduced backlog and expanded markets helps Canadian medical innovation stay in Canada rather than fleeing to the United States.
“There’s unprecedented demand on the healthcare system, and we’re playing a role in reducing that demand by helping Canadian health innovations develop here,” says Gascoyne. “Think about the volume of medical devices and implants in the population. If they all work better and last longer, that has a massive, cascading effect on our country.”
See how the OIC is advancing orthopaedic device testing and manufacturing. Visit Orthopaedic Innovation Centre to learn about their innovative approach to improving patient care!
