Scripps Clinic researcher Dr. Darryl D’Lima has been selected to receive the prestigious Nicolas Andry Award on June 11 for his orthopaedic research using a groundbreaking electronic knee prothesis known as the “e-knee.” Presented by The Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons, the award recognizes a body of work conducted and published over an extended period of time that has significantly contributed to orthopaedic knowledge and practice. D’Lima has been at the forefront of e-knee research for more than 15 years. Scripps made history in 2004 when Dr. Clifford Colwell implanted the world’s first e-knee into a patient at Scripps Green Hospital. This unique “smart” prosthesis contains a computer chip that measures forces inside the knee while the patient participates in various activities such as walking, climbing stairs and exercising. Researchers have used data from the e-knee to understand how forces affect the knee joint. These learnings have led to the development of better knee implants and improved rehabilitation protocols following knee replacement surgery. Since 2004, three additional patients have received e-knees. These newer implants measure forces in the knee experienced during the rehabilitation process. Several awards and 27 articles in peer-reviewed journals have resulted from the Scripps research since its inception. D’Lima received the Nicolas Andry Award for his manuscript, “Lab in a Knee: In Vivo Knee Forces, Kinematics and Contact Analysis,” which will be published in the July 2011 print edition of the journal Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research. — Courtesy of Scripps