Through the help of a $50,000 grant researchers are working to eliminate post-joint replacement surgery infections.
GLASSBORO -- In a lab located in the engineering building of Rowan University, a team of researchers gather around a 3D printer. The team watches as the printer finishes up its latest job, leaving a knob of plastic behind.
But this isn't just any piece of plastic. It's an FDA-approved piece of plastic that could one day be a knee replacement capable of releasing medicine to fight off infections in someone's leg.
The driving force behind this project are the thousands of patients who rely on medical technology to replace their aging joints, but succumb to additional surgery to treat post-op infections.
This tedious process -- in which a patient's new joint is removed and temporarily replaced with a bone cement that's loaded with antibiotics -- is one that can be improved, according to Dr. Schivakumar Ranganathan, an assistant professor at Rowan University.
Back at his lab in Rowan Hall in Glassboro, Ranganathan holds up a traditional knee replacement piece.
"This metal piece, right here, this is just here. It's just a piece of metal" he said. "It doesn't do anything, it's passive. We want to make it smarter, want it to do more."
Since last summer, Ranganathan and his team -- consisting of Jill Sharkey, a member of Rowan University's class of 2017, and Ridwan Murshed, a Rowan grad student from Bangladesh -- have been working to develop new pieces that would administer controlled antibiotics into the body and prevent the need to open up patients a second or third time.
"There's a real need for it," said Sharkey. "When I got the chance to step up a be a part of this project I knew it would be a great experience because this could be a really big deal for joint replacements."
Thanks to a $50,000 innovation grant from the New Jersey Health Foundation (NJHF) and The Nicholson Foundation, the team has been using a 3D printer in the lab to develop the replacement pieces using natural materials that are biocompatible.
"The printer is pretty cool," said Murshed. "It's programed through the computers. We can decide the shapes, designs, temperature, and all of the details of what we want to print and set it up through the computer."
Depending on the intricacy of the parts being printed, the pieces can take anywhere from five to 16 hours to print. Although the process is slow, the pieces are being made with a built-in drug delivery system that can be tailored to each patients needs.
"3D printing is a very exciting concept," said George Heinrich, vice chair and chief executive officer for the New Jersey Health Foundation. "This type of work allows for very fine structures that match patients exact needs. There's a very significant infection rate and to avoid that would be such a significant achievement."
The team is collaborating closely with Dr. Tae Won Kim, a practicing orthopedic surgeon and instructor of orthopedics at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University.
"By 2020, the market for post-joint replacement infections is going to be a billion-dollar market," said Ranganathan. "If we are successful, our device will provide a new and improved drug delivery system and personalized implants that can more efficiently treat these infections and improve the patient care all around."
Caitlyn Stulpin may be reached at cstulpin@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitstulpin. Find NJ.com on Facebook.