Desarrollo de un implante de disco intervertebral lumbar mediante tecnologías de manufactura aditiva para la simulación de propiedades biomecánicas

Low back pain, associated with intervertebral disc degeneration, is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Current solutions, such as metallic implants, present critical limitations: they restrict the natural mobility of the spine, alter physiological load transfer, and accelerate the degeneration of adjacent vertebrae. These problems are linked to the phenomenon of stress shielding, in which bone loses its density due to stiffness mismatch with the implant. Furthermore, the commonly employed geometries do not reproduce the viscoelastic properties of the disc, leading to fixation failures, surgical complications, or even the persistence of pain.
To address these limitations, this project proposes the development of a lumbar intervertebral disc implant using additive manufacturing technologies. These technologies enable the creation of personalized medical devices with complex structures, opening the possibility of incorporating stiffness gradients through lattice cellular configurations inspired by biomimetic models such as Gibson–Ashby. To optimize these designs, advanced Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) methodologies will be applied, integrating implicit modeling to construct continuous and multi-scale architectures beyond conventional geometric constraints, as well as field-driven design, which allows the variation of structural parameters (density, cell wall thickness, fiber orientation) based on stress and strain fields obtained from biomechanical simulations. These strategies enable a controlled reduction of the elastic modulus, improving biocompatibility and integration with the surrounding bone.
The overall objective is to experimentally develop a lumbar intervertebral disc implant that closely replicates the mechanical behavior of a healthy disc, integrating both experimental testing and computational simulations. The relevance of this project lies in advancing the state of the art through the design of a biomimetic implant that overcomes the limitations of conventional artificial devices, generating comparative data between additive manufacturing technologies available in the country, and opening the possibility of repeatable and personalized testing using artificial spine models. Altogether, this proposal not only aims to generate well-adjusted and functional prototypes but also aspires to contribute safer, more durable, and more accessible alternatives for the treatment of spinal pathologies.

Desarrollar un implante de disco intervertebral lumbar mediante tecnologías de manufactura aditiva, que simule las propiedades biomecánicas de un disco natural y pueda ser validado experimentalmente integrado a un modelo vertebral artificial impreso en 3D.

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