ľ�ϸ���Ӱ��

During his PhD, Justin Lemans worked on a tough challenge in pediatric healthcare: how to treat severe scoliosis in very young children without stopping their growth. His research focused on a new kind of implant. One that uses a spring to gently guide the spine as it grows. He successfully defended his thesis on June 12.

A flexible solution

“In very young children with scoliosis, the curved spine can grow worse over time and press on the lungs”, Justin Lemans explains. “If we fixate the spine in place too early, it stops growing and then the lungs can’t develop properly either.” Traditional treatments involve surgery every six months to adjust metal rods in the spine, but that’s tough on children and their families.

Together with his promotors René Castelein and Moyo Kruyt, Justin tested a new idea: a spring-based implant that gently stretches the spine over time, without the need for repeated surgeries. “Instead of locking the rods in place, we added a spring. That spring keeps pushing the spine straight as the child grows”, he says. The implant was first developed and used in two young patients with rare spinal syndromes, and the results were promising.

From two to large-scale study

Justin built on this early work by leading larger clinical and biomechanical studies. "It was a completely new and unexplored area. We were very fortunate to receive generous funding from the Dutch Research Council (NWO, Open Technology Program) to make this possible. I was the second PhD candidate to really get involved in this project. My predecessor, Sebastiaan Wijdicks, did much of the groundwork to start a clinical trial with this innovative device. From there, I took over.”

Justin compared the spring system with traditional treatments in a group of 50 to 60 patients. “We saw about 50% correction of the curve, and most importantly, the spines continued to grow at nearly normal rates”, he says. This is a big step, especially for fragile children with muscle-related conditions, who showed the best results.

Now the implant, called Spring Distraction System^TM (SDS^TM) has led René and Moyo to start the spin-off . With Cresco Spine, they aim to bring this solution to the patient, as well as developing a line of dynamic implant systems to treat scoliosis. “The SDS^TM is not yet CE-approved, making our mission complex. We’re aiming for approval in the coming years”, Justin says.

Studying more than just the spine

Justin’s research also included quality-of-life studies and computer simulations. He even spent time in the U.S. learning new biomechanical methods. “We wanted to know how the forces generated by the spring affect the spine and how patients feel afterward”, says Justin. The research showed that not only did the spine improve, but daily life often became easier for the children, too.

Next step: 3D correction

The team is already working on the next version of the implant. “We want to correct not just the curve in one direction, but also the three dimensional rotation of the spine”, Justin explains. A new prototype adds a second spring to gently rotate the spine over time. “If it works, it could be revolutionary. This would allow us to regenerate the scoliotic spine into a healthy and functional spine without fusing the bones in place”. In the future, this could help even older children with scoliosis to grow into adulthood with straight, functional backs.

That personal connection makes the research even more meaningful

Moving to patient care

Justin’s research doesn’t stop at the lab. He is currently in training to become an orthopedic surgeon. “I’m a resident in orthopedic surgery”, he says. “Right now, I’m still in the general surgery phase, but in a few years I’ll return to orthopedic care and back to the UMC Utrecht where this research started.” The clinical experience gained during his PhD gives him a unique perspective. “I follow many of the children I studied in the clinic. I know their names, their progress and sometimes their setbacks”, Justin says. “That personal connection makes the research even more meaningful.”

His future goal? To combine both worlds. “I definitely want to keep working on this”, he says. “Both on the clinical side and in research. It would be amazing to treat patients with the very technique I helped study.” Justin also shares an important piece of advice: “If you have an idea, share it and put it into action. Innovation doesn’t always have to be complex: Sometimes a simple idea, like adding a spring, can change everything.”