Funding tool: Basic research projects
Project-ID: LS11-009
Project start: 01. September 2012
Project end: will follow
Runtime: 36 months / finished
Funding amount: € 294.000,00

Brief summary:

Biodegradable materials are gaining increasing interest in trauma/orthopedic surgery in order to provide customized implants for optimized healing conditions for patients.
The project aims at the detailed in vivo study of the degradation process and resulting products of recently developed novel Mg based implant materials used in trauma surgery along with the impact of the major and trace elements of the alloys which are mobilized during degradation on human health. The project includes
• Production and analytical assessment of implant materials based on magnesium alloys using novel techniques to improve mechanical properties in comparison to conventionally manufactured material
• Application of the implant materials in in vivo experiments
• In-vivo investigation of bone reactions using micro computer tomography
• Investigation of the distribution of major and minor alloy components in the bone material using cutting edge analytical tools (e.g. LA-ICP-MS; IR microscopy)
• Investigation of the mineralization and change of mechanical properties of the implant and bone tissue along the interface with time
• Investigation of the distribution of major and minor elemental components in organs and soft tissues
• Pilot study using an enriched natural stable (non radioactive) isotope (Mg) for time resolved degradation studies and metabolic kinetics

The project is based on high expertise and successful preliminary work and therefore, a high success of the project with respect to the goals can be expected.
The structure of the project is seen moreover to strengthen the scientific research activities in lower Austria with a special emphasis on the collaboration of the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT) located in Wiener Neustadt, who are leading material science in the field of new biodegradable alloys together with the newly installed laboratories at the University Research Center Tulln, where a center for chemical imaging of the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences was opened recently. The results will have a major impact on Trauma surgery towards the development of customized implant materials. Moreover, the sustainability of the project aims to market the results to SME located in lower Austria which are seen to act as potential suppliers to the international medical device industry.

Keywords:
biodegradable implant; LA-ICPMS; Mg alloy; trauma surgery