On 26 August 2025, 25 global orthopedic surgeons joined a new committee precision-focused on centring technological innovation and engineering at the helm of future orthopedic oncology. Convened by ISOLS President Peter Steadman, the gathering was centered around focusing a vision on how to give engineering within ISOLS its own voice and identity to revolutionise patient care.
Technology has always been part of ISOLS’ DNA as the letter from our founding Engineer Emeritus Prof Ed Chau attests. This new group provides a dedicated space to accelerate that progress, from improving prosthesis survival to integrating AI and XR into daily practice.
The President opened with a clear reminder: the ultimate purpose is improving patient care. But he also underlined that engineering’s role has outgrown being just a support act. From implants to AI, software to navigation tools, engineers are no longer just solving problems, they’re co-authoring the future of musculoskeletal oncology.
The group’s new name INSPIRE (Innovation in Navigation, Surgery, Practice, Imaging, Research and Engineering), coined by Frank Traub, Head of Orthopedic Oncology at University Hospital Mainz with advice from Justin Bird of the University of Texas, eloquently captured the broad ambition for the group and drew nods from all corners of the virtual room.
Why was this group established?
The need for a dedicated committee that interrogated, challenged and ruminated over these emerging concepts was established at the ISOLS 2024 Brisbane Scientific Meeting. The resulting action was to establish a dedicated group to harness emerging innovations and translate them into better patient outcomes. From the first meeting it was clear that this meeting of minds would become a launchpad for charting the future of orthopaedic oncology and engineering.
The Brisbane conference highlighted how rapidly the field is evolving, with sessions on AI-assisted surgical planning, mixed-reality surgery and biomaterials, and personalised medicine strategies, making clear the need for a structured forum to lead this work within the society.
The field has embraced 3D-printed, custom implants, including intercalary and joint replacements, designed to integrate seamlessly with bone. These advances have opened new frontiers, but challenges remain. Custom implants often require 8–10 weeks from surgical planning to manufacture, a critical delay for patients undergoing tumour resection. Preventing infection and improving long-term prosthesis survival are also priorities.
The group is designed to set its own agenda, deciding what topics they want to explore, how they want to share information, and how to improve collaboration between clinicians and engineers.
The committee aims to steer the society to not only keep pace with rapid advances but also to be at the forefront of them.
What was discussed in the first meeting?
The conversation traced an arc from past breakthroughs to future frontiers. President Peter Steadman recognised the invaluable contribution of Ed Chau, whose presence was still tangible, despite being unable to join the meeting. Decades ago, the society’s engineers helped transform oncology implants from individually crafted, custom-made devices into standardised, off-the-shelf knee and hip replacements. This revolutionised access, making these life-changing prostheses readily available worldwide.
Veteran board members spoke with Paul Unwin, who recalled early implant innovations from the Stanmore days, from hydroxyapatite coatings that reduced loosening in the 1990s to non-invasive growing prostheses for children. Peter Scheinemann built on that history, reflecting on decades of work at ImplantCast and how additive manufacturing has matured, with up to 50,000 implants produced annually and finally current Board member Christina D’Anjou from Stryker.
What unified voices from industry leaders, academic engineers, and clinicians alike was the conviction that collaboration is the key currency. KC Wong urged the group to create a white paper on best practices, while others, called for international implant standards and AI-driven surgical planning. The message was consistent: surgeons and engineers must speak a common language if technology is to make a meaningful clinical impact. Paul Jutte hoped for collaboration with CAOS, the computer assisted orthopaedic surgery society.
Emerging themes were recurring from all corners of the globe. Digital planning, mixed reality Segmentation in 3D implants and bringing artificial intelligence into that to reduce to delays.
The pertinent need to develop new workflows to influence industry-wide guidelines to advise on navigation. The committee will be split into three key areas of focus: implants; mixed reality/navigation/jigs; and artificial intelligence.
KC Wong highlighted the need for a consensus paper on jigs, 3D-printed implants, specifications. While Alexander Synek and Dan Franks echoed the sentiment for a common language and way to communicate specifications, which would also enhance commercial viability.
As Franks said “There’s currently no great economy of scale for 3D-printed custom prostheses… engineering time is dedicated to segmentation, design work, and back-and-forward communication.”
Andre Olivier, Justin Bird and Emir Benca focused on the need for clinician-engineer collaboration both in theatre and in the laboratory – even as far as tumour board and clinics, it was thought that the synergy and collaboration would be pivotal to drive innovation forward.
Shinataro Iwata, ISOLS’ elected future Board Member for Japan is passionate about orthopedic engineering told us his vision.
“Better technology means better function, better survival of the prosthesis, and better outcomes for the patient.”
“Introducing AI to optics and combining it with XR is an exciting concept,” Iwata says.
“It’s coming very soon, and this group will help define where it fits.”
While prosthetic development remains the core, Iwata sees the group’s remit extending to software solutions, such as AI-powered patient record summarisation and therapeutic planning tools to be the right direction to go in.
“We can work with AI to assist in the diagnosis and management of rare conditions. It’s still early days, but the future is bright.”
From liquid nitrogen bone recycling in South America to robotics and mixed reality in Europe and Asia, the diversity of perspectives underscored the global scale of the challenge and opportunities on offer.
By the close, the consensus was clear: the group must split into focused working clusters, on implants, mixed reality/navigation, and AI/software, while staying connected through shared values and communication. The meeting ended with a sense of momentum, a recognition that engineering in ISOLS is no longer a niche. It is, as Steadman put it, a pillar of innovation of ISOLS that will help shape the next generation of limb salvage care.
With the launch of the INSPIRE group, ISOLS is making a clear statement: the next chapter in orthopaedic oncology will be written not only in the operating theatre, but also in the engineering lab, the software studio, and the virtual reality headset.
As Manish Agarwal summarised, “this group can help solve bioengineering problems members have and help turn ideas into reality.”