Due to an ageing population and rising levels of obesity, the number of joint replacement operations in the Netherlands and Germany is rising rapidly. Infections of joint prostheses represent a serious complication in this context. Around 5,000 patients in both countries are affected by this each year. For patients, this often means long-term treatment, multiple operations and a loss of mobility and quality of life, whilst the societal costs amount to around 150 million euros per year. Yet infections are often only detected at a late stage, as current diagnostic methods are slow and largely reactive.
Joint Support aims to change this. Hospitals, research institutions and innovative SMEs from the Dutch-German border region are pooling their expertise to predict infections around joint prostheses earlier and detect them more quickly. The project is developing a data-driven approach that combines clinical data, microbiology and artificial intelligence.
The innovation lies in a powerful combination of technologies that have not yet been used together in practice: AI models that predict infection risk in advance, molecular diagnostics that identify bacteria within a few hours, and new detection technologies that make infections visible more quickly and virtually in real time during treatment.
Cross-border collaboration is essential. By combining data, expertise and infrastructure from hospitals in the Netherlands and Germany, a unique dataset and testing environment is created that individual institutions cannot achieve on their own. This accelerates innovation and strengthens the international competitive position of companies in the Dutch-German border region in the fields of medical technology, data analysis and diagnostics.
In this way, Joint Support improves patient care, reduces healthcare costs and positions the border region as a frontrunner in AI-driven infection diagnostics.
