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Fracture Fixation Biomechanics Simulator with Adaptive Virtual Coaching

Award Number: R01EB029207
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE Of BIOMEDICAL IMAGING & BIOENGINEERING
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 05/01/2020
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 01/31/2026

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Fracture Fixation Biomechanics Simulator with Adaptive Virtual Coaching - Project Summary Obtaining proper biomechanical stability to promote healing is a primary goal of fracture fixation surgical procedures. Subpar fracture fixation can result in fracture nonunion, residual deformity, implant failure, disuse atrophy, osteopenia, and short or long-term disability. Patients present with variable fracture geometries, bone quality, activity level. Surgeons have many choices for implant types, sizes, materials, construct configurations, and postoperative weightbearing strategies. All these factors, as well as the patient’s innate fracture healing capacity, affect postoperative biomechanics and resulting clinical outcome. Community orthopaedic surgeons who are not trauma specialists often need to treat these fractures. Although surgical technique has received much attention in the medical simulation literature, there is increased recognition of the importance of simulation in the cognitive and decision-making aspects of surgery. The proposed project develops and tests a new interactive simulation software that enables a surgeon to make changes to patient variables and fracture fixation plan, and immediately visualize how these changes affect clinically important 3D biomechanics. The technology is enabled by our high-throughput simulation approaches for generation of precomputed results libraries. The project relies on close long-term collaborations between academic biomedical engineers and clinician scientists, enhanced by collaboration with a leading open-source visualization software research and development organization. The project tests the hypothesis that interactive visualization of 3D biomechanics in fracture fixation will improve biomechanical knowledge and fracture fixation plans. Specific Aim 1 develops and tests effectiveness of a refined simulation software, combined with an instructor-led session, for education of 3D fracture fixation biomechanics. The rich interface will include validated parametric simulations of three fundamental fracture fixation types (bridge plating, compression plating, and intramedullary nailing) applied to both simplified bones and to proximal femur fractures. Specific Aim 2 introduces an autonomous, adaptive virtual coach integrated into the software. The virtual coach will enable flexible, personalized training for each surgeon based on their progress. The project will provide new, exciting opportunities for providing deeper biomechanical understanding to the surgeons who create fracture fixation constructs, facilitating precision medicine and promoting safer and more effective surgical procedures.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = -$8,297 )
2025	2023	PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY	500 UNIVERSITY DRIVE	HERSHEY	PA	17033	DAUPHIN	USA	Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health	000	4	5/22/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$8,297
2025	2023	PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY	500 UNIVERSITY DRIVE	HERSHEY	PA	17033	DAUPHIN	USA	Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health	001	4	6/4/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = -$8,297

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $301,069 )
2023	2023	PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE	500 UNIVERSITY AVE RM C1607	HERSHEY	PA	17033	DAUPHIN	USA	Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health	000	4	2/6/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$301,069
														Subtotal = $301,069

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $299,876 )
2022	2022	PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE	500 UNIVERSITY AVE RM C1607	HERSHEY	PA	17033	DAUPHIN	USA	Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health	000	3	4/22/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$299,876
														Subtotal = $299,876

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $300,093 )
2021	2021	PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE	500 UNIVERSITY AVE RM C1607	HERSHEY	PA	17033	DAUPHIN	USA	Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health	000	2	3/19/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$300,093
2021	2021	PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE	500 UNIVERSITY AVE RM C1607	HERSHEY	PA	17033	DAUPHIN	USA	Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health	001	2	5/26/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $300,093

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $342,045 )
2020	2020	PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE	500 UNIVERSITY DR C1607	HERSHEY	PA	17033	DAUPHIN	USA	Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health	000	1	4/27/2020	NEW	$342,045
														Subtotal = $342,045

Grand Total All Awards = $1,234,786

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Fracture Fixation Biomechanics Simulator with Adaptive Virtual Coaching

Award Number: R01EB029207

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE Of BIOMEDICAL IMAGING & BIOENGINEERING

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 05/01/2020

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 01/31/2026

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