![Engineering Senior Design Team 110 members standing together on FAMU-FSU College of Engineering third floor breezeway](/sites/g/files/upcbnu1751/files/senior%20design%202024/bme%20100s/2024-bme-team-110-SH.jpg)
Our goal was to assess and suggest improvements for cervical implant technology. We aimed to develop a surface treatment to improve VySpine’s PEKK-based spinal implants’ osseointegration and osteoinduction to reduce patient recovery time, improve implant bone encapsulation, reduce recurrence of degenerative disc disease (DDD) and vertebral fracture symptoms.
PEKK is considered bio-inert, which is not ideal for the application this project works to solve. The current standard of care can be improved with the development of a surface treatment that works to improve PEKK-based spinal implants’ osseointegration and osteoinduction properties, as it will allow faster and more reliable fusion of the cervical system with surrounding/adjacent vertebrae, minimize the risk of non-union between the implant and surrounding bone, enhance the long-term stability of the implant, enhance biocompatibility and reduce patient recovery time.
Claudia Villalobos, Nico Sanchez, Katherine Martinez, Emily West, Chloe Patterson
Stephen Arce, Ph.D.
VySpine, Dr. Brett Barry
Spring