PhD defence: Anna Bertoli Borgognoni
Exploring 3D-printed implants for bone cancer patients
Info about event
Time
Location
Konference J116-111, Entrance J, J110, Aarhus University Hospital
On Friday 29 May 2026 at 15:00, Anna Bertoli Borgognoni defends her PhD dissertation entitled “Personalized Surgery – introducing medical 3D print technology in orthopaedic oncology at Aarhus University Hospital”.
Aarhus University Hospital is working towards developing custom-made implants for patients with bone cancer, aiming to improve surgery in complex cases where standard solutions do not fit well. Using advanced 3D printing technology, the project explores how personalized titanium implants can be designed and produced more quickly, while ensuring strong attachment to bone for better long-term outcomes. The research brings hospitals closer to producing implants in-house within days rather than weeks, which could help meet strict treatment deadlines and improve patient care.
When patients with bone tumors undergo surgery, doctors must remove the cancer while saving as much healthy bone and function as possible. In difficult areas such as the pelvis, standard implants often do not fit well, which can make surgery and recovery more challenging.
To solve this problem, Aarhus University Hospital established a 3D print center in 2019 together with the Danish Technological Institute. This allows surgeons and engineers to quickly design patient-specific surgical tools based on patients scan, reducing the production time.
This PhD project investigated whether 3D-printed titanium implants could also be used as permanent implants in the future. In a sheep model, different implant designs were tested to see how well bone grows into and attaches to the implant surface.
The studies showed that porous implants—implants with a sponge-like structure—provided much stronger attachment to bone than solid implants. However, adding a special strontium coating did not improve results.
The findings support continued development of in-house 3D printing, with the long-term goal of providing faster, more personalized treatment for patients with complex bone tumors.
The summary is written by the PhD student.
The defence is public and takes place in Konference J116-111, Entrance J, J110, Aarhus University Hospital. Please see the press release for more information.
Contact
PhD student Anna Bertoli Borgognoni
Mail: annabertoli@clin.au.dk
Phone: +45 61128433