2023-07-27 10:54:38
Flexible, light, with high breathability and resistance. These are the characteristics of a new ‘wrist-hand brace’ inspired by the world of nature. To be precise, its structure mimics the reticular cocoon of silkworms. The researchers of Nemolab, the technological research hub dedicated to neuromuscular diseases, drew on the ingenuity of these little animals. 3D printing allowed them to put what they learned into practice. The project was therefore born from the encounter and fusion between “the charm and perfection of nature” and the technology developed by man. For the first bio-inspired wrist-hand brace, it took two years of research by the 3D printing Lab team, one of the 10 Nemolab laboratories.
The results are published in the journal ‘Biomedicines’ and describe a change of approach for the creation of what is defined by the experts as “a fundamental orthosis in supporting the progressive weakening of the hand muscles”, a symptom experienced by those facing a serious neurodegenerative disease such as the ALS. This brace may also be necessary for those living with Sma or muscular dystrophy, or Parkinson’s disease and spinal injuries.
The researchers thought of exploiting the mechanical properties of flexibility, breathability and resistance, to develop an aid “extremely light and resilient in its ability to adapt to the needs of each patient”, reads a note. Their activity was also supported by the ‘Development of innovative solutions 4.0’ funding from the Lombardy Region and Unioncamere Lombardia, with the voluntary support of the Rotary Club Milano Linate. Starting point: “The ‘unmet needs'”, the still unanswered needs, “of people with neuromuscular pathologies”, explains Stefano Regondi, general manager of Nemolab and Nemo clinical centres.
“The invention of a form-fitting brace – continues Regondi – synthesizes the precipitate of knowledge that derives from daily clinical practice, with the ingenuity exercised in this case in the knowledge domain of materials engineering. This synthesis between clinical practice and scientific-technological research is the driving force behind the 41 active and ongoing experiments in our laboratories”. Grasping, writing, cutting food or opening a door are daily gestures that over time become difficult, up to being impossible for those living with this pathology. Intervening with external supports that reposition the hand in a correct postural attitude is essential, the experts explain, to prevent joint contractures, counteract the risk of muscle shortening and reduce pain in the resting situation, thus generally improving the function of use itself of the hand. The promptness in the creation of the aid, its adaptation in relation to the evolution of the disease and the constant personalization based on the needs of the person become the necessary criteria for the orthosis to be effective.
This is where Nemolab technology comes into play. The mechanical characteristics of the silkworm cocoon geometries were first evaluated in their tensile, compressive and bending capacity, and then reproduced in the 3D printing design. An engineering computational model has made it possible to “predict the behavior of the material, capable of reproducing a natural structure which, over millions of years, has evolved with unique characteristics, making it adaptable and light, despite its strength and resistance”. The result is a brace capable of adapting each time to the specific characteristics of the person. For example, the more important the hand’s need for support, the greater the rigidity of the cells that make up the orthosis, thus creating a more compact reticular structure. All of this, with 3D printing, can be achieved in a short time and at low cost.
“The study shows all the potential of three-dimensional printing technology in responding to the specific needs of each patient – underlines Raffaele Pugliese, Research Area Coordinator of Nemolab – Ours aims to be a contribution to the development of personalized medicine, which has a vision on the need for person”. A sample group of people with ALS, patients of the Nemo clinical center in Milan, was involved in order to collect the need and opinion following the orthosis test. The group confirms the importance of the breathability of the material and the personalization of the aid, but also positive feedback for the very thin thickness, the pleasant aesthetics, the light material and the ease of use. Findings that will allow researchers to continue studying biocompatible materials and optimize the design of what has now become “an industrial prototype accessible to all”.
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