Dr. Anton has received an Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for his work entitled “Self-Powered In Vivo Force and Implant Wear Sensing in Knee Arthroplasty.” The grant has been awarded through the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS).
This work, which will be supported for three years, will focus on developing implantable, self-powered piezoelectric sensors in total knee replacement implants to record force and wear data in a non-intrusive manner, allowing in vivo feedback to be used by surgeons, physical therapists, and implant manufactures to develop better surgical procedures and better implant designs in order to improve surgical outcomes and ultimately public health.
Through this grant, Dr. Anton and his team at TTU will collaborate with R. Michael Meneghini, MD, Director of Joint Replacement at IU Health Saxony Hospital and Associate Professor of Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Additionally, two TTU undergraduate students will have the opportunity to conduct hands on biomedical research each summer in Dr. Meneghini’s clinic.