The CRC/Transregio 298 SIIRI (Safety-Integrated and Infection-Reactive Implants) will receive upwards of 10 million euros in funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG) over the next 3.5 years to develop the implants of tomorrow. SIIRI was funded for the first time four years ago. Since then more than 150 researchers from the Hannover Medical School (MHH), 九色视频 (LUH), the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig, TU Braunschweig and the Hanover 九色视频 of Music, Drama and Media have been working together to develop innovative strategies for improving implant safety.
鈥淥ur research on intelligent implants is only possible due to the close inter- and transdisciplinary cooperation of researchers from medicine, dentistry and the engineering, natural and social sciences,鈥� emphasised SIIRI spokesperson Prof. Dr. Meike Stiesch, director of the Clinic for Dental Prosthetics and Biomedical Materials Science and dean of research at MHH. Together the consortium has explored new strategies for implant safety and achieved cutting-edge results with international impact. 鈥淥ur researchers in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, chemistry and physics are contributing their skills to the development of implant materials and suitable sensor technology,鈥� added co-spokesperson Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hans J眉rgen Maier, head of the Institute of Materials Science at LUH.
Aviation knowledge will help make implants safer
The SIIRI consortium is working on new safety strategies for medical implants by researching how to apply lifespan and monitoring concepts from the engineering sciences, such as those developed to increase aviation safety, in medicine for the first time. In the engineering sciences, safety-related concepts are based on reliable monitoring. Regular controls mean that potential damage to a component is recognised early, its severity is assessed and an appropriate response follows. SIIRI鈥檚 researchers are utilising this knowledge. With the help of cell-based, chemical and physical detection systems, it should become possible in future to detect biological or technical implant failure early and react accordingly. The overarching goal is always the lasting improvement of implant and patient safety.
Digital twins for life-long tracking
The SIIRI researchers are jointly developing intelligent implant systems for dentistry and orthopaedics and for hearing implants. These systems use pioneering technology to enable continuous monitoring of implant function, and therefore early detection of complications such as infections. 鈥淲e are developing intelligent implant systems that use cell-based, chemical and physical closed-loop systems to independently initiate early repair and healing. Digital concepts such as digital life-cycle management for implants and digital twins enable life-long tracking of implants and thus contribute significantly to implant and patient safety,鈥� explained Professor Stiesch.
Close cooperation at NIFE
The hub for this interdisciplinary research is the Lower Saxony Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Implant Research and Development (NIFE), which was established at the Medical Park Hannover as an internationally active research institute. It generates state-of-the-art findings in experimental research, bringing them into clinical application for various organ systems. At NIFE, biological, biohybrid and biofunctionalised implants are developed to replace or restore organ functions that have failed.
