Projects

Proyecto liderado por Tequir en colaboración con la Universidad Católica de Valencia para el desarrollo y validación de una herramienta de software dirigida al diseño de guantes quirúrgicos personalizados para cirugía MIS de pie y validación de la técnica asociada en cadáver.

El guante quirúrgico desarrollado en este proyecto, es un dispositivo de guiado y sujeción destinado a diferentes intervenciones de cirugía de mínima incisión del pie, que reduce los factores de error dependientes de la habilidad y destreza del cirujano, al poder planificar la cirugía previamente mediante la realización de una Tomografía Axial Computerizada (TAC) con reconstrucción tridimensional del pie.

En la fase de diseño y planificación pre-quirúrgica, se obtienen las guías para cada una de las osteotomías planteadas con las angulaciones idóneas y precisas para cada uno de los ejes X, Y, Z. Tras la planificación de las osteotomías, se procede a imprimir en 3D el Guante quirúrgico personalizado.

Este proyecto ha sido cofinanciado por los fondos FEDER, dentro del Programa Operativo FEDER de la Comunitat Valenciana 2014-2020.

At present, materials technology is one of the most promising fields in prosthesis. TEQUIR led a consortium with Spanish research centres (IBV, CBIT-UPV and INASMET-TECNALIA) to develop new biomaterials to be used in bone fusion. This consortium was involved in a CENIT INTELIMPLANT project (Advanced Biomaterials for a New Generation of Implants) led by BTI (Biotechnology Institute, S.L.). As a result of this project, a new biomaterial with promising properties in the regeneration of bone defects was developed. The project reached the synthesis stage of different biopolymers, their biological in vivo and in vitro evaluation and their mechanical evaluation. All these tests were carried out comparing them with a commercially available control commercial material with a similar functionality.

After the densitometry studies and 3D reconstruction, and the mechanical tests, no significant differences were founded in the newly-formed bone tissue as a result of repairing the generated defect, neither between the employed biomaterials (including the control material) nor between the test periods (8 and 16 weeks).

The behaviour of all test biomaterials (including the control material) is very similar both in the short term and the long term, and in all cases there is practically a full recovery of the mechanical resistance of the bone in comparison with healthy tissue. The fact that new biomaterials developed in the project achieve bone tissue regeneration in critical size defect comparable to that of the control material is a very positive result and indicates that any of these treatments could be used in the clinical application of vertebral fusions. As a result of the project, the enterprise has a new biomaterial that in the near future could reach the market, increasing the enterprise competitiveness.

There exist numerous causes that can lead to an amputation, such as traumatisms, infections, different vascular pathologies such as diabetes, severe burns or tumors.

KEEP WALKING is the commercial name of the successfully concluded  I+D PROMUTEQ project, which was directed to persons who have suffered or are going to suffer an amputation of the lower limb above knee level. The objective was to develop a novel implant that would permit to offer a solution to some of the problems amputated patients suffer and whose origin is in the lack of distal load of the stump within a prosthesis socket. This lack of distal load, forces the socket to discharge the loads in an important way to the ischium, impeding a complete use of the available leverage arm and has the soft tissues suffering pressures and pains because of socket usage. Additionally at medium/long term deossification of the femur occurs because of the lack of stimulus.

The development was focused towards a definitive solution (implantable) that endows the transfemoral amputated patient the capacity to use a socket with distal load, reporting him/her the benefits a knee disarticulated patient has. Specifically, distal weight bearing would offer maintenance of the Bone Mineral Density, or improving it in case of previously amputated patients. It would also improve control of the stump and would avoid charges to the ischium, augmenting the daily number of hours of socket use. And last it would improve the oxygen consumption because of less fatigue during walking. More precise, it would augment the quality of life of the amputated patient.

PROMUTEQ, within the mark of the project “Clinical trial validation of the efficiency and security of a transfemoral implant” has been partially financed by the “Center for the Industrial Technological Development (CDTI) within the program for Projects of Investigation and development.

The clinical validation is currently performed in five national hospitals. The period of follow up of each recruited patient is 14 months. The investigation team is formed by the heads of the departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation of the participating hospitals. TEQUIR is responsible for monitorization of the clinical trial.

The clinical trial validation phase of this project has been co-financed by the European Fund of Regional Development FEDER, operative program of Technological Fund 2007-2013.

El principal motivo para no usar una pierna artificial ortopédica es el dolor y la falta de confort asociados con la interface entre el muñón residual y el encaje exterior de la pierna artificial. El amputado también puede tener dificultades en el uso de la pierna debido al diseño inadecuado de los componentes de la misma como el pie o la articulación de la rodilla. Se estima que entre el 59.55% y el 73% de amputados del miembro inferior no están satisfechos con su pierna ortopédica. Como continuación del proyecto PROMUTEQ, Tequir ha solicitado una propuesta al Desarrollo tecnológico para pymes en el ámbito de la comunidad Valenciana (IMPIVA), para el desarrollo de un dispositivo de conexión intermedio entre el implante osteointegrado y la pierna protésica. El objetivo de este proyecto es principalmente eliminar el uso del encaje exterior una vez que el implante ha desarrollado una buena fijación ósea sobre el hueso soporte, y anclar directamente la pierna protésica al implante femoral a través de éste dispositivo de conexión aumentando el confort asociados al uso protésico y por tanto al calidad de vida del paciente amputado. Este proyecto se encuentra actualmente, en fase de desarrollo.

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a progressive structural spinal deformity of unknown origin that affects around 2-3% of children aged between 10 and 16 in the world. The resulting surface deformity has a strongly negative impact on adolescents, giving rise to psychological distress, behavioral disorders, and other emotional and social problems that reduce drastically their quality of life.

The main objective of the STIMULAIS project is to develop a novel device for the treatment of AIS which will be capable not only of stopping progression of the curvature, but also correcting it. It will represent a strong differentiation in AIS treatment, as it will avoid the side effects of the current conservative solutions (wait-and-see or bracing) and will reduce the need of invasive fusion surgery. All its features will be integrated in a small device with low obtrusiveness providing the advantages of fully implanted systems with a minimally invasive procedure.

STIMULAIS is involved in the 7th Framework Programme for EU research (FP7), which is the European Union’s main instrument for funding research in Europe. Tequir is the leader of this project, in which participates two other SMEs, Synimed (France) and Bentronic (Germany) and three research centers, the Instituto de Biomecánica and the Universidad Católica of Valencia (Spain) and Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung – IPMS (Germany).

For more information about StimulAIS proyect: www.stimulais.com

A project directed towards the development of a new cervical prosthesis, based on the use of biocompatible materials previously unused for this application. The innovation is recognizable in the design that responds both to the security of the device as well as its characteristic physiologic functionality within the cervical spine. Currently the project is in the biomechanical verification phase. Development performed in collaboration with Dr. Eduardo Rossi, neurosurgical specialist. The Biomechanical Institute of Valencia (IBV) is the collaborating Technological Center for this project.

Development of a new concept applied to joint prosthesis which improves its behavior against wear out.  Currently this project is in the verification phase. Collaboration with technological centers AIN Tech, Biomechanical Institute of Valencia (IBV) and Inasmet Technalia.

Project promoted and monitored by the company Comercial Maturana within the frame of the program Etorgai 2012-2014, Integrated projects for industrial investigation and experimental development of strategic character in the Autonomous Community of the Bask Country.