# Spinal Fusion Implant with Embedded Biomechanically Powered Sensor

> **NIH NIH R43** · EVOKE MEDICAL, LLC · 2022 · $274,865

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The objective of this Phase I SBIR is to develop a spinal fusion implant with embedded biomechanically
powered sensor. Evoke Medical’s core technology is to create human-powered implantable devices that utilize
piezoelectric materials to generate load-induced power. That power can then be used for various purposes:
electrical stimulation of bone growth and/or load-sensing to track fusion progression. Through our current Phase
II project, a fully integrated piezoelectric transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) implant was developed
with embedded power generator and miniaturized circuitry for signal conditioning. In this TLIF implant, lower
impedance piezoelectric materials were used to generate power for mechanically synced direct current (DC)
electrical stimulation delivered to an electrode on the implant surface for the purposes of enhancing bone growth.
No batteries are used in any Evoke Medical implant as all energy is biomechanically induced by human motion.
Our preliminary work has also shown that a piezoelectric interbody implant can act as a sensor and distinguish
between different applied physiological loads that correlate to fusion progression.
In other industries, piezoelectric materials are often used as load sensors. In situ, mechanical loads applied to
the piezoelectric device generate proportional electrical voltages that can be translated back to quantify the
applied load on the device. Evoke Medical will use this inherent ability of piezoelectric materials to characterize
the change in load environment within the disc space, and subsequently provide objective data to the clinician
and patient to inform post-operative outcomes and treatment decisions. In spinal fusion, the load on the implant
is highest when the device is first implanted and there is no bony fusion mass around and throughout the implant.
As fusion progresses, the load on the implant is reduced according to the fusion grade achieved due to the
increased surface area and stiffness of the growing bone structure. In this proposal, we will prove that a
custom piezogenerator embedded in a spinal fusion implant with the associated circuit hardware and
data acquisition software can collect, store, and wirelessly transmit changes in load within the interbody
space. These changes can then be related back to fusion progression and other post-operative outcomes.
Evoke Medical has already developed cost-effective manufacturing methods and demonstration of safety and
efficacy of the stimulating aspect of the piezoelectric TLIF that is moving forward in the commercialization
process through a DeNovo regulatory strategy. In these verification tests, we have also proven that we can
successfully harvest patient motion and convert that to usable power under physiological loading conditions. By
developing the load sensing aspect of the TLIF implant now, Evoke Medical will be able to jumpstart our
capabilities to provide patients with biofeedback on how their impl...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10603735
- **Project number:** 1R43AR082237-01
- **Recipient organization:** EVOKE MEDICAL, LLC
- **Principal Investigator:** Leighton LaPierre
- **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $274,865
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-15 → 2023-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10603735

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10603735, Spinal Fusion Implant with Embedded Biomechanically Powered Sensor (1R43AR082237-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10603735. Licensed CC0.

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