Knowing that over two million total hip replacements are performed globally each year and that no pelvic bone structure is similar, the smart joint trial liner is an aid that "aims to make hip surgery more precise and deliver better and longer-lasting outcomes,” according to a news item posted on the website of the Cambridge University Hospitals. The team of Prof Sohini Kar-Narayan, Vikas Khanduja and Dr Jehangir Cama working on this surgical device recently earned the £ 1.4 million (Rs 15.28 crore) Invention for Innovation (i4i) Product Development Award from UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Research to advance their pioneering work. A year ago, the team’s efforts were recognized with the Institute of Physics’ Lee Lucas Award when they were felicitated at the UK Houses of Parliament.
From l: Vikas Khanduja, Dr Alex Samoshkin, Prof Sohini Kar-Narayan,
Dr Jehangir Cama felicitated at the UK Houses of Parliament
To aid an orthopedic surgeon in the accurate positioning and balancing of the implant, the trial liner which is a wire-less surgical aid will be temporarily placed in the ball and socket joint. The sensors in the trial liner would measure forces passing through the joint to help the surgeon assess and balance the soft tissues. Once measurements are complete and the ideal position of the implant is determined, the surgeon would remove the smart liner, replace it with the final implanted liner, and complete the operation, it was explained in a short video on this breakthrough in technology.
Cama explained to Parsiana his role in the filing of this patent in 2020. As a biophysicist, "My background research involved a technology known as microfluidics, where you develop devices with small microchannels in which you can control fluids very precisely. I used this to study various biological problems/phenomena, with a particular focus on issues around antibiotic resistance in bacteria. However, this technology is gaining increasing prominence for its potential in sensor development. My colleague Prof Kar-Narayan was interested in combining microfluidics with her laboratory’s expertise in additive manufacturing (three-dimensional printing using a variety of materials), flexible electronics and sensor technologies.”
Both of them being Fellows at Clare Hall (one of the colleges at the University of Cambridge) they decided to collaborate on combining these technologies. Kar-Narayan was later approached by Khanduja who is a consultant orthopedic surgeon at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS (National Health Service) Trust with a clinical problem. "It turned out that using microfluidics and additive manufacturing we could potentially address this clinical challenge,” stated Cama. "That was how this project began. Thus I am a co-inventor of the underlying microfluidic sensor technology that underpins the project,” Cama clarified. "With projects such as these you cannot really quantify the amount of work. These projects are measured in years, with many contributors working on various aspects of the project.”
Besides his technical expertise as a biophysicist, as a translational scientist who is expected to improve healthcare outcomes by converting scientific discoveries into practical medical treatments and diagnostics, Cama is "driving forward the commercialization activities since my focus over the past few years has shifted from a technical role to being more interested in bringing novel technologies from the laboratory into real-world clinical applications.” This requires him to coordinate with the technical hardware, software, regulatory/quality, and patient-public involvement teams while preparing for the next grant/funding. "There are various regulatory barriers and documents that need to be prepared and checked before a first-in-human clinical trial can be conducted,” mentioned Cama who was hopeful they should be ready with one for their smart liner by end 2027/2028.
Working with the University’s commercialization arm, Cambridge Enterprise, the core team has incorporated ArtioSense Limited as the potential spin-out vehicle for this technology. While spending nearly four days a week on this project, 36-year-old Cama devotes one day each week to another venture from Cambridge, BioTryp Therapeutics, where he is commercial director and co-founder. This initiative focuses on developing novel treatments for bacterial infections, related to his work on antibiotic resistance.
Delhi born Cama studied physics at St Stephen’s College, University of Delhi before joining Trinity College, University of Cambridge, to complete an integrated BA/MSci program, followed by a PhD in biophysics at Trinity College. Born to Parzor founder Dr Shernaz Cama and Hormusji Cama, managing director of the Gujarati daily Mumbai Samachar, Jehangir stated, "I am a practising Zoroastrian and am keenly interested in Parsi culture and heritage, and particularly its preservation.
"Obviously one’s faith and culture affects how you live, but I don’t think it played a major role in my career choice. I do feel some of the entrepreneurial spirit comes from seeing the successes of the community, and how especially in the past we as a community were known for building industries and taking risks to build long-lasting legacies. So I think that there is some influence in that respect that is connected to my Parsi identity. A member of the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe, he attends some of their functions in London and also looks forward to lectures organized at the Ancient India and Iran Trust in Cambridge.