Ohio State to Help Design Enhanced Prosthetics for Amputees

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently awarded support to The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and community partners to improve the fit, function and comfort of prosthetic sockets for veterans.

As part of a VA Innovation Initiative (VAi2), the Center for Regenerative Medicine and Cell-Based Therapies at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, along with Ohio WillowWood and the University of Akron, will collaborate to develop a more effective prosthetic system for patients at VA medical centers across the country who have had transfemoral amputations. Unilateral transfemoral amputations involve removal of the leg at the thigh, while leaving part of the femur, or thigh bone, intact.

“This is an extraordinary Ohio-based industry-academia-government partnership that will generate real solutions for our amputees,” says Dr. Chandan Sen, principal investigator of the project and professor and vice chair for research in Ohio State's Department of Surgery and director of Ohio State’s Comprehensive Wound Center.
“Within Ohio State, partnership between the Colleges of Medicine and Engineering will be key to the success of this project, which is designed to create practical solutions for amputees in our society,” Sen adds.

According to WillowWood, the proposed solution involves developing an improved suspension system and a socket system made from polymer materials that draw heat away from the limb for enhanced performance and comfort.

Throughout the 26-month project, transfemoral amputees will be provided with more durable prosthetic systems that are more comfortable and maintain fit and performance across a wide range of activities.

The Center for Regenerative Medicine and Cell-Based Therapies aims to advance life sciences research and education at The Ohio State University and throughout the State of Ohio by creating a multi-college environment that fosters interdisciplinary interactions, and advances and disseminates knowledge in this emergent field, with the final goal to deliver solutions in health care through effective public-private partnership. For more information about the Center please visit regenerativemedicine.osu.edu.

 
Contact: Sherri Kirk, College of Medicine Public Relations, 614-366-3277, or Sherri.Kirk@osumc.edu