No More Second Surgery Needed for the Rotator Cuff repair: NCKU Researchers Invent the Biodegradable Magnesium Suture Anchor.

Source: National Cheng Kung University Hospital ( Healthcare⁺ Expo- booth no.:   K606 )

Sports Medicine is trendy research in orthopedics, "Strategic Market Research" indicated that the global market would be approximately 6.9 billion USD and reach 118.6 billion USD in 2023. In recent years, with the rise of domestic sports interests, the sports population has increased, and the domestic demand for surgery due to sports injuries has also increased.

Professor Ming-Long Yeh from National Cheng Kung University led a cross-disciplinary team composed of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, the hospital's research cooperation team, and the Department of Materials crew to develop new orthopedic implant materials. Professor Yeh's team developed a serial product of biodegradable metals based on the magnesium (Mg) alloy. This Mg alloy has already verified its biocompatibility and biodegradable property in both in vitro and in vivo research. With the biodegradable property of the Mg alloy, the Mg-implant has the advantage that it does not need a second operation to remove from the body. Professor Yeh's team developed a series of critical technologies for surface modification of materials to control the degradation rate effectively. This Mg alloy has evolved as the new material for the anchor, which is widely used in the clinical treatment of rotator cuff tears. This research achievement also won the 16th National Innovation Award.

The anchor system developed by the NCKU team has applied for a patent in Taiwan and hopes to reduce the postoperative burden on patients. Mg-alloy anchor is the potential to become the golden first choice for shoulder arthroscopy and bring breakthrough progress for minimally invasive orthopedic surgery.

Professor Yeh's team also hopes to graft the base to domestic cooperation units through the medical technology exhibition, hoping that such high-end metal materials can cooperate with Taiwan's original excellent manufacturing industry.