Are you a motivated and talented PhD candidate that want to participate in the project “Personalized treatment for optimized survival of revision total knee arthroplasty”? This is a collaborative project between the Orthopedic and Research department of Sint Maartenskliniek and the Orthopaedic Research Lab of Radboudumc, focusing on revision total knee arthroplasty (rTKA).

A total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a successful intervention for treatment of advanced knee osteoarthritis. But it does not provide a permanent solution for every patient, so revision surgeries will be needed. With the increasing numbers of implants placed, also the numbers of revision implants will increase. When taking out the primary implant for revision total knee arthroplasty (rTKA), the surgeon has to deal with bone defects. These bone defects make it difficult to achieve proper fixation of the revision implants into the bone. Revision implants often require additional augmentation, such as stems, or a cone around the stem, to fill the bone defect and facilitate proper implant fixation.

Choosing the optimal surgical strategy is challenging because insufficient augmentation will lead to poor fixation, loosening and another surgery. And too much augmentation can lead to bone loss through stress shielding and this is costly.

We therefore need a personalized approach to ensure optimal fixation. The research project aims to provided substantiated evidence for surgical strategies to optimize implant fixation and subsequent survival of revision total knee replacements.

The project consists of four work packages. First, insight will be gained into the 3D geometry of rTKA bone defects based on CT-scans of patients. This information will be used in physical testing of cadaveric rTKA reconstructions, adopting various augmentation strategies. Physical testing will be simulated in computational models based on finite element analysis. The validated methodology will then be used to generate a large population of models to determine the personalized optimal augmentation strategies.

Finally, the loop to the clinic will be closed in a clinical study implementing the personalized augmentation advice. Stability of the rTKA will be monitored with radiostereometric analysis and dynamic micromotion, known substitutes for long-term implant survival, eventually demonstrating the clinical validity of the personalized rTKA optimization advice.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Develop and perform scientific research in the field of orthopaedics, image processing, biomechanics, and clinical research.
• Generate and analyze data, write scientific publications, and present findings at scientific meetings.
• Participate in educational responsibilities of the department.
• Work in a multi-disciplinary team with fellow (PhD) students, scientists, and orthopedic surgeons to discuss, plans and perform research in a stimulating environment at the Orthopedic Research Lab of the Radboudumc and at the Sint Maartenskliniek.
• Complete the project with a scientific dissertation.

Our ideal PhD candidate has a master of science in biomedical or (bio)mechanical engineering, biomedical sciences, technical medicine, or a closely related discipline.

Moreover, you have:

• An independent and well-structured working style.
• A strong motivation to succeed in scientific research.
• Experience or affinity with biomechanical research.
• Affinity with orthopedics.
• An broad interest in clinical research, medical imaging techniques, 3D modeling, and AI applications (machine learning, deep learning, neural networks).
• Well-developed social skills directed to work in a team.

Fixed-term contract: 4 years.

At Radboud university medical center, you build on your future. We are committed to providing the best care, education, and research. And we are true to our word, because we help you develop and seize opportunities and give you the room to grow. As an employer, we believe that employees should feel vital and happy at work in all stages of life. We are also committed to creating a healthy and safe working environment. Our employment conditions contribute to that. What we offer:

• Upon commencement of employment, you will start at scale 10A, step 0 (€ 3.017 based on a full-time appointment). Over a maximum period of 4 years, you will progress to scale 10A, step 3 (€3.824 based on a full-time appointment). You will also receive an 8% holiday allowance, an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, and a 47% to 72% bonus for working unsocial hours.
• 172 vacation hours per year based on a 36-hour working week. (As of 1 January 2025, you will receive 176 vacation hours).

Radboudumc

This project is a collaboration between the Sint Maartenskliniek and Radboudumc. You will be dividing your time working at both institutions, depending on the specific task you’re working on during the project.

Sint Maartenskliniek (SMK) is the largest orthopedic clinic of the Netherlands with 400 rTKA procedures performed annually. The Orthopedic Innovations group is an internationally esteemed research group specialized in clinical studies, with a main focus on functional evaluation and survival analysis of primary and revision arthroplasty. The research group consists of orthopedic surgeons, senior scientists, PhD students, research nurse and administrative assistant. Clinicians work closely together with scientists in performing clinical research in patients. Researchers have office space at the research department, in mixed offices with researchers of other research groups, and have lab meetings and daily lunch walks in the beautiful green and hilly surroundings of the clinic.

The Orthopaedic Research Lab (ORL) of the Radboudumc performs fundamental and applied research in the field of orthopaedics. Our research focuses on functional and biomechanical analysis deformities and orthopaedic reconstructions of the musculoskeletal system. Our multidisciplinary team consists of engineers, biomedical scientists, physicians, and technical physicians. In our research we combine experimental testing and computational modeling with clinical research.

Our research group is (literally) embedded within the Department of Orthopaedics, where you and your fellow researchers share office space with the clinical staff. We furthermore have a lab for physical testing of orthopaedic reconstructions, a dedicated infrastructure for our computational analyses, and facilities that also enable working from home.

The project is embedded in the Interdisciplinary Consortium for Movement Sciences (ICMS), a strategic partnership between Radboudumc, SMK, Twente University and Roessingh Research and Rehabilitation.

Radboudumc
Welcome to Radboud university medical center (Radboudumc), where scientific breakthroughs are born through the curiosity and passion of our collaborating researchers in a vibrant environment. We believe trust and excitement are crucial elements to achieving our goals, and we approach our research as teams and with the utmost rigor to make a significant impact on health and healthcare. Our researchers are driven by their fascination with the biological, psychological, and sociological mechanisms underlying health and healthcare. They collaborate with partners from all over the world to improve health outcomes for all. Radboudumc unites patient care, research, education, and corporate learning, which allows us to approach our mission to shape the health and healthcare of the future in an innovative and person-centered way.

Our ambition is to lead the way in the pursuit of prevention, sustainability, meaningful care. We believe that through our research, we can significantly improve the health and well-being of society. Join us on our mission to make a difference in healthcare. Become a part of our community of gifted researchers, professionals or patient partners who are dedicated to making a real impact on population health and healthcare.

Read what it is like to do a PhD at the Radboud University Medical Center.