New infection-resistant, 3-D printed metal implants and the science power couple behind them

More than 100,000 patients with metal joint replacement implants get infections a year, and about half of them will need revision surgeries. These infections can be life threatening.

A new infection resistant, 3-D printed metal alloy implant could drastically reduce this number.

Amit Bandyopadhyay and his wife, Susmita Bose, are professors at Washington State University’s school of Mechanical and Materials Engineering. Bandyopadhyay comes from an engineering background, while Bose researched chemistry. They started working on 3-D printed biomedical devices in the early 2000s.

This year, they created an infection resistant 3-D printed metal implant.

Bandyopadhyay said the implants that are currently on the market have not changed much. Traditional implants use titanium, a metal used in aerospace due to its durability and lightweight. Higher end implants are coated with tantalum, a corrosion-resistant metal and encourages healthy cell growth as it has high biocompatibility with the body.

The couple wondered if there was a way to revolutionize implants while reducing infections.

Bacterial colonization of metal implants is one of the leading causes of their failure and bad surgery outcomes. Infection rates also increase when the original surgery is not planned, for example, like when a patient needs surgery for a bone fracture. These infections can be life threatening and can occur weeks or months after the surgery.