title: New cosurface capacitive stimulators for the development of active osseointegrative implantable devices.
abstract: Non-drug strategies based on biophysical stimulation have been emphasized for the treatment and prevention of musculoskeletal conditions. However, to date, an effective stimulation system for intracorporeal therapies has not been proposed. This is particularly true for active intramedullary implants that aim to optimize osseointegration. The increasing demand for these implants, particularly for hip and knee replacements, has driven the design of innovative stimulation systems that are effective in bone-implant integration. In this paper, a new cosurface-based capacitive system concept is proposed for the design of implantable devices that deliver controllable and personalized electric field stimuli to target tissues. A prototype architecture of this system was constructed for in vitro tests, and its ability to deliver controllable stimuli was numerically analyzed. Successful results were obtained for osteoblastic proliferation and differentiation in the in vitro tests. This work provides, for the first time, a design of a stimulation system that can be embedded in active implantable devices for controllable bone-implant integration and regeneration. The proposed cosurface design holds potential for the implementation of novel and innovative personalized stimulatory therapies based on the delivery of electric fields to bone cells.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Mechanical Technology &Automation (TEMA), University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.|Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: Marco P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Soares Dos Santos
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedicine (iBiMED), Department of Medical Sciences, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marote
authors.affiliation: Physics Department, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: João
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Torrão
authors.affiliation: Centre for Mechanical Technology &Automation (TEMA), University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.|Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: José A O
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Simões
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedicine (iBiMED), Department of Medical Sciences, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: Odete A B
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: da Cruz E Silva
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University at Buffalo, SUNY, Buffalo, NY, US.|Department of Electrical Engineering, University at Buffalo, SUNY, Buffalo, NY, US.
authors.forename: Edward P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Furlani
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedicine (iBiMED), Department of Medical Sciences, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: Sandra I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Vieira
authors.affiliation: Centre for Mechanical Technology &Automation (TEMA), University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.|Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: Jorge A F
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ferreira
mesh_terms: D001846:Bone Development / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000528:radiation effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000528:radiation effects; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005594:Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D016348:Osseointegration / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D013499:Surface Properties