European populations are ageing rapidly. By the year 2060, every third person living in Germany will be older than 65. For this reason, the social and socio-economic relevance of regenerative therapies is clearly increasing. This holds particularly true forimplants: the older the population grows, the more medical implants for various indication areas are required and the more often they have to be replaced during the course of therapy. The research vision pursued by the Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1270 ELAINE focuses on novel electrically active implants. Specifically, we address implants employed for the regeneration of bone and cartilage, and implants for deep brain stimulation to treat movement disorders.

The main objectives of the CRC 1270 ELAINE are:

• establishment of innovative energy autonomous implants that allow a feedback-controlled electrical stimulation.

• simulation of efficient multi-scale models to enable rapid progress in targeted implant improvements and patient-specific therapies.

• analysis of the basic mechanisms of electrical stimulation in bone, cartilage and brain, and to translate this knowledge into clinical practice.

For this purpose, scientists from the fields of electrical engineering, computer science, mechanical engineering, material science, physics, biology, and medicine work together in an interdisciplinary manner.

More about SFB 1270: ELectrically Active ImplaNts – ELAINE