Engineering Precision in Orthopaedic Surgery and Treatment Strategies...Interview with Connor Myant, Imperial College London

Ahead of the Engineering Precision in Orthopaedic Surgery and Treatment Strategies conference, we caught up with Connor Myant, Senior Lecturer, Dyson School of Design Engineering at Imperial College London. Connor explained his role and involvement with regards to this conference, the critical challenges and what he is looking forward to at the event.

Q: Could you briefly explain your role, involvement, and experience related to the focus of this event?

Connor Myant (CM): I have been involved in research and development of orthopaedic implants for around 14 years now. Starting from investigating the tribological properties of synovial fluid in metal hip replacements, to characterising 3D printed metals, and now developing design methodologies for patient specific implants.

Q: What, in your experience, has been the biggest roadblock for the industry over the past 2-3 years?

CM: In terms of delivering patient specific devices on a mass scale I believe that our design processes are now the major barrier to implementing this service to all patients. The fabrication technologies, materials and device certification processes are there but are not being fully leveraged due to our reliance on manual design techniques.

Q: What key topics are you excited to speak about?

CM: Delivering mass customisation across healthcare services, in a way that is scalable and cost viable.

Q: What do you consider to be the key areas of innovation in this industry, both in the UK and internationally?

CM: The use of Digital Manufacturing Systems to deliver smart products that leverage patient data and create novel innovative products. Examples could be customised pharmaceuticals (single pills tailored to patient's current needs) or sophisticated prosthetics (embedding sensors to provide feedback and tailored physiotherapy).

Q: Who else are you most interested in hearing from on the programme?

CM: Kaiyu Zhang from Stryker, as I want to hear from an industry perspective on creating patient specific products.

Q: Why is it important for engineers to join this conference?

CM: Conferences like these bring a broad spectrum of disciplines together. This is vital in meeting current and future challenges within healthcare.

The Engineering Precision in Orthopaedic Surgery and Treatment Strategies event will be taking place on 27 November 2024 at Weetwood Hall in Leeds. To book your place, please visit www.imeche.org/orthopaedic.