TOMSK, Jan 11 – RIA Tomsk. Tomsk State University (TSU) employee Venera Luchsheva is developing a new composite ceramic antibacterial biomaterial for joint endoprosthetics; the research is being conducted within the framework of the UMNIK support program, the TSU press service said on Tuesday.
"A new antibacterial biomaterial for implants will be developed at TSU. A junior researcher at the Laboratory of Nanotechnology Metallurgy, Venera Luchsheva, is developing a new composite ceramic biomaterial with an antibacterial effect... The work is supported by the UMNIK program," the report said.
It is specified that Luchsheva proposes to "inhabit" the surface of porous zirconium dioxide with a system of bambusuril and antibiotic. The bambusuril molecule would release the antibiotic and slowly kill the bacteria.
With reference to Luchsheva, it is added that currently, antibiotics or other antibacterial substances are deposited on the surface of the bone implant, but they cause antibiotic resistance and may have a negative impact on the body's cells. A new implant material aims to solve this problem.
"The demand for joint endoprosthetics in Russia is about 300,000 operations a year. When ceramic materials are implanted... there can be inflammatory processes: malignant neoplasms of bone tissue, osteolysis, ectopic growth of bone tissue, implant rejection and associated bacterial infections," the press service quotes the scientist.Bambusurils are macrocyclic compounds that were synthesized for the first time in 2010.
UMNIK is one of the leading programs in Russia to support commercially oriented work of students and young scientists. Participants receive half a million rubles to implement their projects over two years. The program is funded by the Foundation for Assistance to Small Innovative Enterprises (FASIE).