Dr. David Olubiyi Obada

Visiting researcher (Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria)

Fabrication of Hydroxyapatite and Bioactive glass containing Biopolymer Composites for Improved Load-Bearing Bone Repair and Regeneration in Patients with Fragility Fractures

Supervisor: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr. h.c. Aldo R. Boccaccini

Bone grafting techniques, such as autografts and allografts, have been standard clinical methods for bone regeneration. However, issues like limited availability and decreased osteoinductivity can result in suboptimal healing. Consequently, synthetic and natural bone substitutes, primarily calcium phosphates and bioactive glasses (BGs), have gained attention in recent research. This study aims to develop new biomaterials that are doped with therapeutic ions to create scaffolds composed of hydroxyapatite (HAp), BGs, polylactic acid (PLA), and chitosan (Ch) for bone repair applications. Two different constructs will be produced: hydroxyapatite-ion doped chitosan/polylactic acid, and BG-ion doped chitosan/polylactic acid. The fabricated constructs will be characterized, and comparisons will be made. This research is expected to offer valuable properties for treating bone fractures, leveraging the intrinsic characteristics of the proposed scaffolding materials. This project is funded by DAAD.