research

Overview:

The Spine Innovation & Research Institute (SIRI) is dedicated to advancing spinal health through interdisciplinary research in biomechanics, artificial intelligence (AI), and medical device development. By integrating clinical expertise with cutting-edge science, SIRI aims to revolutionize spine diagnostics, treatments, and surgical interventions while training future leaders in the field.

Focus Areas:

  • Finite Element Analysis (FEA) & Artificial Intelligence (AI): Developing AI-enhanced FEA models to simulate spinal biomechanics, conducting studies on lumbar and cervical spine conditions for improved surgical planning, and using AI for predictive modeling of spine degeneration and treatment outcomes.
  • Spine GPT: Creating an AI-driven platform, Spine GPT, that integrates research, clinical data, and diagnostics for automated spinal condition analysis.
  • Spine Disease Research & Medical Device Development: Investigating biomechanical progression of spine diseases and designing novel implants, rehabilitation tools, and AI-integrated diagnostic devices, such as lumbar spine exoskeletons and cervical spine massagers.
  • Robotics & Coding: Developing AI-driven software for robotic spine surgery, FEA simulations, and diagnostic systems to enhance precision and outcomes.

Publications:

SIRI has published extensively in top-tier journals, showcasing its research impact:

  1. Lin, Maohua, Vrionis FD, et al. “Integrating finite element analysis and physics-informed neural networks for biomechanical modeling of the human lumbar spine.” NASSJ, Volume 22, June 2025, 100598. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xnsj.2025.100598. 
  2. Lin, N.; Paul, R.; Lin, M.; Vrionis, F.D. The frontiers of Smart Healthcare Systems. Healthcare, 2024. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12232330. 
  3. Dhar, U.; Menzer, E.; Lin, M.; Tsai, C.T.; Vrionis, F.D. Open laminectomy vs. minimally invasive laminectomy for lumbar spinal stenosis: a review.  Front. Surg., 2024. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsurg.2024.1357897.
  4. Doulgeris, J.; Lin, M.; Tsai, C.T.; Vrionis, F.D. Validation and Correlation Analysis of Lumbar Spine Finite Element Models.  Bioengineering, 2023. https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering11010024
  5. Lin, M.; Paul, R.; Liao, X.; Doulgeris, J.; Tsai, C.T.; Vrionis, F.D. A New Method to Evaluate Pressure Distribution Using a 3D-Printed C2-C3 Cervical Spine Model with an Embedded Sensor Array. Sensors, 2023, 23(23), 9547. https://doi.org/10.3390/s23239547. 
  6. Lin, M.; Doulgeris, J.; Tsai, C.T.; Vrionis, F.D. Effect of Graded Posterior Element and Ligament Removal on Annulus Stress and Segmental Stability in Lumbar Spine Stenosis: A Finite Element Analysis Study. Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol, 2023, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2023.1237702. 
  7. Lin, W.; Wei, C.; Lin, M.; Liao, X. Programmable and ultrasensitive haptic interfaces enabling closed-loop human‒machine interactions. Advanced Functional Materials 2023, 2305919. https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202305919. 
  8. Lin, M.; Paul, R.; Abd, M.; Jones, J.; Dieujuste, D.; Chim, H.; Erik D. Feeling the Beat: A Smart Hand Exoskeleton for Learning to Play Musical Instruments. Frontiers in Robotics and AI 2023. https://doi.org/10.3389/frobt.2023.1212768. 
    • 212 Media Outlet report this work. 
  9. Lin, M.; Paul, R.; Doulgeris, J.; Tsai, C.T.; Vrionis, F.D. A Review of Finite Element Modeling for Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion. Asian Spine Journal 2023. https://doi.org/10.31616/asj.2022.0295. 
  10. Dhar, U.; Menzer, E.; Lin, M.; Tsai, C.T.; Vrionis, F.D. Factors influencing cage subsidence in anterior cervical corpectomy and discectomy: a systematic review. European Spine Journal 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-023-07530-w. 
  11. Shi, M.; Tang, Y.; Zhu, X.; Zhuang, Y.; Lin, M.; Liu, J. Feature-attention graph convolutional networks for noise resilient learning. IEEE transactions on cybernetics 2022. https://doi.org/10.1109/TCYB.2022.3143798.
  12. Lin, M.; Shapiro, S.Z.; Erik D.; Tsai, C.T.; Vrionis, F.D. Finite element analysis of the effect of anterior dynamic plating on two-level anterior cervical discectomy fusion biomechanics. World Neurosurgery 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wneu.2022.02.032. 
  13. Lin, M.; Paul, R.; Shapiro, S.Z.; Doulgeris, J.; Tsai, C.T.; Vrionis, F.D. Biomechanical study of cervical endplate removal on subsidence and migration in multi-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion. Asian Spine Journal 2022. https://doi.org/10.31616/asj.2021.0424. 
  14. Lin, M.; Abd, M.A.; Taking, A.; Tsai, C.T.; Vrionis, F.D. Engeberg, E.D. Robotic replica of a human spine uses soft magnetic sensor array to forecast intervertebral loads and posture after surgery. Sensors 2022, 22, 212. https://doi.org/10.3390/s22010212. 
    • This paper was reported in multiple famous websites and news.
    • Most Notable Article in Sensors and Robotics Topic Area, January-February 2022
  15. Shi, M.; Zhuang, Y.; Tang, Y.; Lin, M.; Zhu, X.; Liu, J. Web Service network embedding based on link prediction and convolutional learning. IEEE Transactions on Services Computing 2021. https://doi.org/10.1109/TSC.2021.3103481. 
  16. Shi, M.; Tang, Y.; Huang, Y.; Lin, M. Mashup tag completion with attention-based topic model. Service Oriented Computing and Applications 2021, 15, 43-54. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11761-020-00302-0. 
  17.  Lin, M.; Shapiro, S.Z.; Doulgeris, J.; Engeberg, E.D.; Tsai, C.-T.; Vrionis, F.D. Cage-screw and anterior plating combination reduces the risk of micromotion and subsidence in multilevel anterior cervical discectomy and fusion—a finite element study. The Spine Journal 2021, 21, 874-882. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spinee.2021.01.015. 
    • The Spine Journal is the #1 ranked spine journal in the Orthopaedics category and the Clinical Neurology category in the most recent Journal Citation Reports, published by Clarivate. 

 

Facilities:

SIRI is developing a state-of-the-art laboratory featuring:

• Spine biomechanics testing equipment.
• Surgical robotics development platforms.
• High-performance computing for FEA and AI research.
• Dedicated workspaces for PhD students. Additionally, SIRI leverages FAU’s MRI resources and collaborates with the Jupiter Brain Institute for advanced spinal imaging and neurological research integration.