Aerospace Engineering Meets Surgery: First Metamaterial Bone Implant Saves French Patient's Leg

A groundbreaking medical achievement has enabled a 38-year-old Frenchman, identified as Pierre, to walk again after a severe bone cancer diagnosis. Doctors at the Hospital Gregorio Marañón successfully removed an aggressive high-grade bone sarcoma from his tibia, a procedure that preserved both his leg and the joint. The critical challenge then became reconstructing the bone defect and restoring the leg's weight-bearing capacity.

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I have put my leg down again after two years and I can finally walk again without crutches. It's what I have and it turned out well.

The solution came through an innovative alliance between the hospital and the Polytechnic University of Madrid. Together, they designed and manufactured a custom bone prosthesis using metamaterial, marking the first time such a device has been implanted in a patient. This pioneering implant, 3D-printed at the Gregorio Marañón, is made of titanium and features a unique lattice structure. Its geometry is meticulously calculated to mimic the load-bearing properties of natural bone.

Pierre expressed his relief and joy, stating, "I have put my leg down again after two years and I can finally walk again without crutches." He described the implant as seamless, "It's what I have and it turned out well." The success of this implant is the culmination of over a decade of collaborative research between the hospital and the university, involving a multidisciplinary team of doctors, engineers, and researchers.

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This hospital was the first to implement a unit of this type. When 3D printers were used to make models and toys, here they were used to make anatomical models and replicas of patients.

Rubén Pérez-Mañanes, deputy scientific director at the Gregorio Marañón Health Research Institute, highlighted the hospital's pioneering role in 3D printing for medical applications. "This hospital was the first to implement a unit of this type," he noted. Unlike traditional prosthetics that come in standard sizes requiring surgical adaptation, this implant was designed specifically for Pierre. "We place the patient at the center and develop a culture of personalized medicine," Pérez-Mañanes explained, emphasizing the shift towards patient-specific solutions.

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We place the patient at the center and develop a culture of personalized medicine.