The award is offered to doctors, engineers and scientists aged 45 and under for outstanding research and development work in the field of metal-free implant restoration in orthopedics and trauma surgery.
The focus of the prize is on scientific work and innovation in the field of orthopedics and trauma surgery that contribute to metal-free orthopedic care. The aim is to promote research into new materials and technologies that offer clinical benefits, reduce infection, facilitate diagnostics, and improve patient care, and (not least) relieve the financial burden on healthcare systems.
Scientific work in the following areas is worthy of the award:
- Innovative implant solutions based on ceramics, plastics, or other metal-free materials for hips, knees, spine, and other orthopedic applications,
- New material technologies and combinations thereof that optimize durability, elasticity, and osseointegration,
- Surface modifications and coatings that reduce bacterial adhesion and improve biocompatibility,
- MRI-compatible implants and imaging-friendly materials that enable more precise diagnostics,
- Metal-free osteosynthetic systems, including screws, plates, or alternative fixation methods,
- Bridging technologies, AI, and 3D-printing for the development of individualized metal-free implants,
- Health economic and clinical analyses that demonstrate the benefits and sustainability of metal-free solutions.
Work may already be published in a scientific journal or book. Unpublished manuscripts, diploma theses, dissertations, and post-doctoral theses are also accepted. The only exception is that the work must not have been submitted for, or received, any other scientific prize.
The 2025 research award will be presented during the jointly sponsored congress by the German Society for Orthopedics and Orthopedic Surgery (DGOOC), the German Association for Trauma Surgery (DGU), and the Professional Association of Orthopedists and Trauma Surgeons (BVOU) in Berlin.
To be considered for the award, your work (in German or English) must be sent as a PDF to preise@dgou.de no later than July 31, 2025. A declaration that your work has not received or been submitted for another award, together with the data protection form (available on the DGOU website) must accompany your entry.
Thomas STERNER (Germany)
Auswirkungen von klinisch relevanten Aluminium Keramik-, Zirkonium Keramik- und Titanpartikeln unterschiedlicher Größe und Konzentration auf die TNFα-Ausschüttung in einem humanen Makrophagensystem
[Effects of clinically relevant alumina ceramic particles, circonia ceramic particles and titanium particles of different sizes and concentrations on TNFα release in a human monocytic cell line]
The awarded paper was published in:
Biomedizinische Technik, 49 (2004), 340-344