China has unveiled the world’s first copper-blended titanium implant for orthopaedic surgery after more than a decade of research and development.
This innovative material retains the exceptional strength and hardness characteristic of titanium alloy medical devices while significantly reducing the risk of post-operative infection, according to its developers.
On April 21, the world’s first bone pin made using the material was approved for market release by China’s National Medical Products Administration.
The device was developed through a collaboration between Silvan Medical, a Suzhou-based medical device firm, and the Shenyang-based Institute of Metal Research, an affiliate of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
According to an article published on the institute’s website in late April, the product’s release “marks the successful transition” of copper-titanium alloys from research to clinical application.
Titanium and its alloys are widely used in dental implants, hip and knee replacements, bone plates and screws due to their robust mechanical properties, excellent corrosion resistance and optimal biocompatibility.
Among these, bone pins are some of the most essential devices and are used to fix fractures.
But implant-related infections remain a major challenge in their clinical use, with infection rates for orthopaedic replacements ranging from 0.4 per cent to more than 16 per cent depending on the severity of the injury.
According to a paper published in the journal Materials (Basel) in 2022 by researchers from Xiamen University in China, adding copper – which is widely used in biomedical materials to enhance their antimicrobial capacity – would be one way to address the challenge.
Researchers worldwide have spent years exploring various methods to develop the implants by adding copper ions to the metal to change its properties – a process known technically as copper doping.
But most remained stuck at the research or early clinical stage because of high costs or a complex manufacturing process.
The Institute of Metal Research has been working on the material since 2013.
Over the years, its research team has published over 60 papers and secured more than 40 invention patents. It said it had now mastered the intricate processing techniques required to produce titanium alloys to which copper has been added.
The institute added that by developing the new implant it had established a “complete innovation chain”, ranging from research and production to clinical use. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
