PhD in 3D Printing Mechanically Adaptive Regenerative Interfaces for Improved Bone Screw Fixation

Low back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide, and presents a significant socioeconomic burden from direct treatment costs, and indirect costs due to losses in productivity. An ageing population, combined with increases in inactivity and obesity is expected to further increase this burden. Low back pain is initially treated conservatively, but approximately 20% of patients will require surgery. However, spinal surgery is expensive, clinical outcomes are relatively poor, and reoperation rates are rel...

Opportunity details

Low back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide, and presents a significant socioeconomic burden from direct treatment costs, and indirect costs due to losses in productivity. An ageing population, combined with increases in inactivity and obesity is expected to further increase this burden. Low back pain is initially treated conservatively, but approximately 20% of patients will require surgery. However, spinal surgery is expensive, clinical outcomes are relatively poor, and reoperation rates are relatively high (~20% within 10 years). Spinal surgery often uses pedicle screws and rods to provide stabilisation. However, screw loosening and pull-out are major complications, particularly in patients with poor bone quality (e.g., osteoporosis), which can result in pain and instability, ultimately requiring expensive revision surgery. The design of screws has been adapted to mitigate loosening, including larger or longer screws, altered thread geometry, expandable screws, and bone cement augmentation. Non-biodegradable sleeves (e.g. Ogmend) have been used to distribute screw loading to increase pull-out force. However, clinical evidence of these mitigation strategies is inconsistent, or limited, and many devices are evaluated pre-clinically using insertion torque, uniaxial pull-out tests, or simplified cyclic loading, which do not replicate the complex multi-axis loading experienced in vivo. Furthermore, they do not actively regenerate the screw–bone interface or progressively transfer load to newly formed bone. The aim of this project is to develop a new generation of bioresorbable, regenerative scaffolds that engineer the screw-bone interface to improve primary and secondary fixation. By controlling scaffold architecture, mechanical properties, bioactivity a...

Eligibility

However, clinical evidence of these mitigation strategies is inconsistent, or limited, and many devices are evaluated pre-clinically using insertion torque, uniaxial pull-out tests, or simplified cyclic loading, which do not replicate the complex multi-axis loading experienced in vivo. Candidate designs will be evaluated under complex loading that better reflects activities of daily living than conventional tests.

Requirements

However, clinical evidence of these mitigation strategies is inconsistent, or limited, and many devices are evaluated pre-clinically using insertion torque, uniaxial pull-out tests, or simplified cyclic loading, which do not replicate the complex multi-axis loading experienced in vivo. Candidate designs will be evaluated under complex loading that better reflects activities of daily living than conventional tests.

Funding and benefits

Funding eligibility: UK Students, EU Students, International Students. Funding amount: £21,805 The studentship will provide funding of fees and a stipend per annum for 2026/7.

How to apply

Although pedicle screw fixation will provide the primary clinical application, the underlying principles could ultimately be translated to other orthopaedic fixation devices where poor bone quality and implant loosening remain major challenges.

Open the official application information

Verify the deadline and final conditions on the official provider page before submitting an application.