A Mount Baker Secondary School student’s latest science project has earned him a place in the Canada-Wide Science Fair in Edmonton.
Keanu Chan, 16, has developed a prototype for a device that could make treatment for spinal injuries and maladies more precise.
His invention won gold at the East Kootenay Regional Science Fair in March, which catapulted him into the national competition running May 14 to 19.
Chan has participated in the national science fair before with other projects, but he’s just as excited for this event as he was for the others.
“You’re seeing the faces of all these people that maybe you’ve only had to see on a Zoom call, but you’re finally going to meet them,” he said. “I’ll be able to talk and learn about the most amazing projects, and really the future of this country and the world. It’s an amazing atmosphere where everybody wants to help everybody and everybody wants to learn from each other.”
His invention aims to identify the exact point where pedicle screws should be inserted into the spine. Pedicle screws are used to keep the bones of the spine in place after a spinal fusion surgery, so that the spine can heal properly.
“If you have a bad back and need spine surgery, it’s usually because of a problem with the spine disc and the most common surgery for that is a spinal fusion,” he explained. “To get a spinal fusion you need to get these things called pedicle screws, which you screw into the spine.”
Spinal procedures are complex, he added, and one misplaced screw can cause an inordinate amount of issues including nerve damage, internal bleeding, dural injury, spinal fracturing and abdominal artery injury. In his report, he remarked that this procedure has been known to have a 36.5 per cent complication rate.
His device is meant to improve surgical safety, simplify spinal surgical procedures, minimize the need for invasive surgery and improve efficiency in operating rooms.
READ MORE: East Kootenay Science Fair puts spotlight on youth talent
Chan discovered the topic while perusing medical literature on the internet and was shocked at how high the rate of error was for spinal fusion. He has always had an interest in medicine and is considering a future career in the industry.
“I found that these spine surgeries, the current techniques, are difficult and impractical,” he explained.
The device would be attached to the outside of person’s body with threaded screws before a medical procedure and removed after. An xy positioner knob from a microscope would manipulate it across the spine to assist with measurement.
“It’s a device that assists with surgery. It’s not like a prosthetic that you’re putting into somebody permanently,” he explained.
A needle could also be attached in order to inject medicine into the spine or take spinal samples for cancer biopsies.
To develop the tool, he took spinal measurements from CT scans obtained from Interior Health and created a ratio from the data. He tested it on an anatomically accurate human spine model with a spine surgeon, and on a cadaver deer spine.
He hopes to get the device patented in the next few years, a process that would involve getting a medical device establishment licence.
“I’ll be able to be testing on people and hopefully get my device into the market. It’s long-term of course,” he said.
@gfrans15
gillian.francis@cranbrooktownsman.com
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