University of Leeds

The University of Leeds (UNIVLEEDS) currently has more than 30,000 students from about 140 countries, around 7,000 of whom are postgraduates; 36 per cent of academics are involved in applied research or as consultants to industry. The university consistently appears in the top 100 of the QS world rankings and is a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Three distinct research groups at the University of Leeds are involved in lifelongjoints.

The Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (iMBE) was awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize in 2011, the UK’s highest accolade for an academic institution. iMBE brings together colleagues from the faculties of engineering, medicine, and health and biological sciences to deliver pioneering multidisciplinary research and education in the fields of medical devices and regenerative medicine, with a focus on orthopaedic and cardiovascular diseases and disabilities. iMBE has a grant portfolio in excess of €60 million and employs more than 100 PhD students and postdoctoral researchers. The institute has a strong track record in innovation and translation, working in partnership with a range of external organisations and SMEs. Current facilities include simulators and underpinning mechanical and biological assessments of gross wear and particulate debris, including the use of 2D/3D surface profilometry, CMM, microCT, SEM, TEM and biological assays, all of which meet specifications required within current standards.

The Institute of Engineering Thermofluids, Surfaces and Interfaces (iETSI) has considerable depth and breadth of expertise in a number of research fields relevant to LLJ. A number of researchers in the Institute have expertise in tribology for a wide range of applications, including hip replacements. This expertise is reflected in the joint hosting of the Leeds-Lyon Symposium on Tribology run every two years at Leeds and led by academics in iETSI. Tribocorrosion and its effects on implants (as well as more broadly in other engineering applications) is something that iETSI has pioneered over the past few years and is of major relevance in the development of joint replacements.

The Academic Units of Health Economics (AUHE) is a specialist health economics unit with a large portfolio of competitively funded applied and methodological research. It works in collaboration with researchers from the University of Leeds and other UK and international research-intensive universities and organisations. The AUHE has a number of ongoing musculoskeletal research projects. Recent work in this area has included a cost effectiveness study of total hip arthroplasty and resurfacing arthroplasty in the treatment of young patients with arthritis in the hip joint.

Partner contribution
UNIVLEEDS is project coordinator and leader of work packages 2 and 7. The three research groups contribute functional wear and tribocorrosion facilities and expertise, functional testing of the prototype prostheses, wear particle isolation and characterisation expertise, in vitro particle: cell biological response assays, surface characterisation, coating deposition and characterisation, and dissemination and exploitation.