The Latest Technologies for Reconstructive Surgery will be Implemented in the Urals

10:28, May 21, 2021

The project is realized by scientists, doctors, and industrialists of the Urals Federal District

Within the next three years, the latest innovative development will be created and implemented in the Urals, which will increase the efficiency of operations to restore hand functions when fingers are partially or completely lost due to the original surgical technology and implanted structures. This technology will improve the lives of patients not only from Russia, but also from other countries. This was stated by Evgeny Ovchinnikov, deputy director for scientific work at the Ilizarov Center in Kurgan.

According to Evgeniy Ovchinnikov, preclinical research and engineering of the new implanted structures and technologies are in progress at the Center. After their effectiveness and safety have been confirmed, they will be put into everyday practice. The project is implemented within the framework of the Ural Interregional Research Educational Center (UIREC) "Advanced Industrial Technologies and Materials".

"Now the research project phase is underway to develop the implant design, surgical technology using the osseointegration method, and then to confirm the effectiveness in animal experiments of the osseointegration method. These are implantable, lifelong technologies that can reduce patient treatment time and increase functionality. The way that proves safety for patients is very important, because we are responsible for their life and health. We expect the process from idea to market to take about three years. Because this is an innovative, experimental development, new data and complications can arise in the process. All this must be carefully analyzed, processed, and new methods and materials introduced," said Evgeny Ovchinnikov.

Currently, titanium and titanium-based alloys as well as various types of chromium-nickel steels are mainly used in implant production.

The Ilizarov Center cooperates with the Ural Federal University, where the fundamental basis for the possibility of using new alloys and materials is being formed. One of the partners is the Sensor company, where engineering and technology for a specific product are being formed.

"Together we are solving a set of research tasks in traumatology and orthopedics. Here we have everything combined - the university, the laboratory of the Ilizarov Center, and the production enterprise. As soon as doctors come up with an idea, we can discuss it with scientists and production workers. We make original implant designs, methods of their fixation, and methods of reducing the rehabilitation period of patients. Our technologies for restoring the functions of amputated limbs are absolutely original, we are ready to distribute them and teach them to our students. We regularly fulfill orders for the Ilizarov Center, and I am sure there should be as many such sites as possible," explained Viktor Kuznetsov, professor at the Department of Heat Treatment and Physics of Metals of Ural Federal University, head of the Laboratory of Biomechanics and Engineering Research of the Ilizarov Center.

In the course of the press tour organized by Kurgan State University and Ural Federal University the Ural journalists got acquainted with the work of the Ilizarov Center and the Sensor company in Kurgan, which acts as a key industrial partner of the project in the field of reconstructive surgery and implantation.

It was previously reported that UIREC can occupy up to 20% of the Russian market of reconstructive surgery and implantation after 2035.

Vladimir Yakushev, head of the Supervisory Board of the Ural Scientific Center and the Presidential Envoy to the Ural Federal District, expressed his support for the implementation of such an important and socially important project.

"The development of world-class scientific and educational centers capable of generating and bringing to the market innovative materials and technologies is of archival importance for us. One of the most long-awaited developments is the project of the Ilizarov Center in Kurgan for reconstructive surgery and express implantation. The specialists of the center admit that due to the cooperation between doctors, scientists, and production, the period of technology implementation will be much shorter than if everyone entered the market independently," noted Vladimir Yakushev.

Vladimir Yakushev also notes that this year the center has a triple anniversary: 50 years since its creation, 70 years of unique technology and 100 years since the birth of the founder Gavriil Ilizarov.

"There are 1,500 highly qualified specialists working here to help the patient reach a qualitatively higher level of support and movement. The center has long established itself as a world-class institution. I am sure that with such support as the Ural Scientific Center, the Kurgan Center will become a leader in breakthrough solutions in the field of orthopedics and traumatology," emphasized Vladimir Yakushev.