Researcher helps develop ‘super elastic’ springs used in world-first baby surgery

Super-elastic springs developed by researchers at UCL, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH) and Durham University have been used in surgery to treat a rare childhood skull condition.
A researcher from Durham University’s Engineering Department has helped develop innovative ‘super-elastic’ springs, which were used for the first time worldwide to treat a baby with a rare skull condition.
Dr Alessandro Borghi has designed the springs as part of a long-running collaboration between engineers at University College London (UCL) and surgeons at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH).
The springs are made from nitinol, a flexible nickel-titanium alloy.
Unlike traditional stainless-steel springs, they can gradually change shape and apply a gentle, steady force to a child’s skull.
The aim is to help the skull reshape more naturally as new bone grows, potentially reducing the need for further surgery.
The project began while Dr Borghi was a senior research associate at UCL’s Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, working under Professor Silvia Schievano.
Dr Borghi developed the device in collaboration with the GOSH Craniofacial Surgery Unit, led by Professors David Dunaway and Owase Jeelani.
He used computer modelling to assess how the springs would behave across different skull shapes.
The results suggested that the nitinol springs could open more slowly and deliver a lower, more consistent force than existing devices.
Dr Borghi then designed the device, oversaw its manufacture, and supported laboratory testing. He also helped plan the first operation and attended the procedure.
In September 2025, new springs were implanted in Rory, a baby diagnosed with severe sagittal craniosynostosis, a condition in which part of the skull fuses prematurely.
Rory’s surgery at GOSH took about 45 minutes. He went home the following day, with the springs gradually reshaping his skull over the next nine weeks.
The springs were then removed once the desired result was achieved.
Dr Borghi said: ‘It is extremely rewarding to see our research efforts translate into a tangible improvement in the life of a newborn baby. This achievement demonstrates the real-world impact that can be achieved through close collaboration between engineering and clinical research.’
The team hopes to make the technology available to more children. As the springs are a new medical device, each patient currently requires individual approval from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity and the National Institute for Health and Care Research Biomedical Research Centre supported the research.