PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

New optimized coatings for implants reduce risk of infection

2013-12-18
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Michael Gasik
michael.gasik@aalto.fi
358-505-609-511
Aalto University
New optimized coatings for implants reduce risk of infection

Implants are commonly made from metals such as titanium alloys. These materials are being made porous during processing used to prepare them for medical use. Whereas this is important to ensure good contact between the implant and the bone, this also allows dangerous bacteria to adhere and grow both on the surface as well as inside leading to increased risk of infection.

"Our work has focused on developing an analysis of surface treatments for commercial implants which reduces risk of infection," said Professor Michael Gasik at Aalto University. "What we wanted to do is find a way to avoid the formation of any undesirable products during the processing of the implant." "At the same time we needed to make sure that the bio-mechanical properties of the implant would remain intact and, even more, become better."

A thin coating of a biomaterial called Hydroxyapatite (HAP) or bioactive glass (BAG) is typically applied to orthopaedic and other implants to alter the surface properties. Such coatings improve the body ability to recognize a foreign object in a more friendly way and promote implant integration into surrounding tissues. During the heat treatment process, excessive stresses can cause premature cracking and removal of the coating layer. This can lead to the development of unsuitable compounds and increase the risk of infection.

"Normally, implants require a certain level of porosity and elasticity to function properly," added Professor Gasik. "The challenge for us was to ensure full functionality of the implant while maintaining sufficient density of the coating during the heat treatment process." "We have proven that by adding a certain amount of another compound called beta-tricalcium phosphate (ß-TCP) such stresses are reduced and therefore preserves the biomaterial coating better." Thus minimizing the risk of coating destruction and bacterial adhesion, and improving cell proliferation, allows the implant surface to achieve its function in an optimal way.

This research is significant in the battle against the spread of drug resistant bacteria. An estimated 10-15% of post-implant complications are caused by bacterial infections. Post-operative diseases are becoming more challenging and developing new treatments that are resistant to infection are crucial. In response to this research, Aalto University and partner manufacturers have already started developing new experimental devices for advanced testing of biomaterials at the conditions most close to life. Besides proving developed technology, it will allow high-throughput screening of the biomaterials with substantially better properties.

The research was conducted at Aalto University and supported by Tekes, the Finnish national innovation agency, and by the EU FP6 project "Meddelcoat".



INFORMATION:

More information:

Professor Michael Gasik
Aalto University, School of Chemical Technology
michael.gasik@aalto.fi
Tel. +358 50 5609511

The articles:

Michael Gasik, Anu Keski-Honkola, Yevgen Bilotsky, Michael Friman: DEVELOPMENT AND OPTIMIZATION OF HYDROXYAPATITE - ß-TCP FUNCTIONALLY GRADATED BIOMATERIAL. Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials (2013), dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jmbbm.2013.11.017

Michael Gasik, Lieve Van Mellaert, Dorothée Pierron, Annabel Braem, Dorien Hofmans, Evelien De Waelheyns, Jozef Anné, Marie-Françoise Harmand, Jozef Vleugels. REDUCTION OF BIOFILM INFECTION RISKS AND PROMOTION OF OSTEOINTEGRATION FOR OPTIMIZED SURFACES OF TITANIUM IMPLANTS. Advanced Healthcare Materials, 1, No. 1 (2012), 117.



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Kids grasp large numbers remarkably young

2013-12-18
Kids grasp large numbers remarkably young EAST LANSING, Mich. — Children as young as 3 understand multi-digit numbers more than previously believed and may be ready for more direct math instruction when they enter school, according to research led by a Michigan State ...

Pollen influences optical properties of the atmosphere

2013-12-18
Pollen influences optical properties of the atmosphere Laser measurements show: pollen has considerably influence on air quality This news release is available in German. Leipzig, Germany. Pollen reflects more sunlight than previously known, ...

Describing biodiversity on tight budgets: 3 new Andean lizards discovered

2013-12-18
Describing biodiversity on tight budgets: 3 new Andean lizards discovered Three beautiful new lizards from the Andes of Peru have been delimited and discovered using different lines of evidences by Peruvian and American biologists from San Marcos and Brigham Young universities ...

Packaging insulin into a pill-friendly form for diabetes treatment

2013-12-18
Packaging insulin into a pill-friendly form for diabetes treatment Since insulin's crucial discovery nearly a century ago, countless diabetes patients have had to inject themselves with the life-saving medicine. Now scientists are reporting a new development ...

Tropical forests mitigate extreme weather events

2013-12-18
Tropical forests mitigate extreme weather events Tropical forests reduce peak runoff during storms and release stored water during droughts, according to researchers working at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. Their results lend ...

Vemurafenib: Result unchanged despite new data

2013-12-18
Vemurafenib: Result unchanged despite new data Results from later analysis dates uncertain because patients switched between treatments Pursuant to the Act on the Reform of the Market for Medicinal Products (AMNOG), the German ...

Toward lowering titanium's cost and environmental footprint for lightweight products

2013-12-18
Toward lowering titanium's cost and environmental footprint for lightweight products A novel method for extracting titanium, a metal highly valued for its light weight, high strength, corrosion resistance and biocompatibility, could lower its cost and make ...

44 percent of adults worry e-cigarettes will encourage kids to start smoking tobacco

2013-12-18
44 percent of adults worry e-cigarettes will encourage kids to start smoking tobacco Almost half of parents concerned their child will try e-cigarettes; support high for prohibiting sale to kids, says U-M National Poll on Children's Health ANN ARBOR, Mich. ...

Suggested ban on trans fat begs the question: Are substitutes any healthier?

2013-12-18
Suggested ban on trans fat begs the question: Are substitutes any healthier? Health advocates cheered last month's U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposal to ban partially hydrogenated oils — which contain trans fats that increase the risk of heart ...

Toward lowering titanium's cost and environment

2013-12-18
Toward lowering titanium's cost and environment In the quest to shrink motors so they can maneuver in tiny spaces like inside and between human cells, scientists have taken inspiration from millions of years of plant evolution and incorporated, for the first ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

‘Molecular shield’ placed in the nose may soon treat common hay fever trigger

Beetles under climate stress lay larger male eggs: Wolbachia infection drives adaptive reproduction strategy in response to rising temperature and CO₂

Groundbreaking quantum study puts wave-particle duality to work

Weekly injection could be life changing for Parkinson’s patients

Toxic metals linked to impaired growth in infants in Guatemala

Being consistently physically active in adulthood linked to 30–40% lower risk of death

Nerve pain drug gabapentin linked to increased dementia, cognitive impairment risks

Children’s social care involvement common to nearly third of UK mums who died during perinatal period

‘Support, not judgement’: Study explores links between children’s social care involvement and maternal deaths

Ethnic minority and poorer children more likely to die in intensive care

Major progress in fertility preservation after treatment for cancer of the lymphatic system

Fewer complications after additional ultrasound in pregnant women who feel less fetal movement

Environmental impact of common pesticides seriously underestimated

The Milky Way could be teeming with more satellite galaxies than previously thought

New study reveals surprising reproductive secrets of a cricket-hunting parasitoid fly

Media Tip Sheet: Symposia at ESA2025

NSF CAREER Award will power UVA engineer’s research to improve drug purification

Tiny parasitoid flies show how early-life competition shapes adult success

New coating for glass promises energy-saving windows

Green spaces boost children’s cognitive skills and strengthen family well-being

Ancient trees dying faster than expected in Eastern Oregon

Study findings help hone precision of proven CVD risk tool

Most patients with advanced melanoma who received pre-surgical immunotherapy remain alive and disease free four years later

Introducing BioEmu: A generative AI Model that enables high-speed and accurate prediction of protein structural ensembles

Replacing mutated microglia with healthy microglia halts progression of genetic neurological disease in mice and humans

New research shows how tropical plants manage rival insect tenants by giving them separate ‘flats’

Condo-style living helps keep the peace inside these ant plants

Climate change action could dramatically limit rising UK heatwave deaths

Annual heat-related deaths projected to increase significantly due to climate and population change

Researchers discover new way cells protect themselves from damage

[Press-News.org] New optimized coatings for implants reduce risk of infection