Chemistry is good for health
TSU scientists have created Russia's first domestic biopolymer
for maxillofacial surgery
Employees of the Laboratory of Catalytic Research of Tomsk State University managed to solve a problem of national importance. Chemists have developed a method for producing biodegradable polymers based on polylactic acid. The scope of application of such materials is very wide, but, first of all, it is restorative medicine, cosmetic surgery, dentistry and pharmacology.
– Abroad, biopolymers are actively used in maxillofacial surgery, in dentistry as a binding component, - says one of the developers, a master's student of HF TSU Vladimir Botvin. – This material serves as a matrix for a filler, for example, for hydroxyapatite, which is the main mineral component of bones. Due to such a property of the polymer as biodegradability, a repeat operation to remove the implant is not required. After three to six months, it completely decomposes and is replaced by bone tissue. In the process of synthesis, we can set the desired time of polymer resorption.
Biopolymers can make life much easier for many people, and for some they are a salvation at all. With their help, you can replace almost any lost bone fragment. Such a need arises in those who have been injured as a result of trauma, or have a congenital pathology.
– The missing fragment can be printed on a 3D printer, - says Olga Gordeeva, the second developer, M.N.S. LKI, PhD student of the HF TSU. – To do this, the biopolymer is loaded into an extruder, stretched in the form of a thread, which will serve as a material for three-dimensional printing. The use of 3D printing technologies makes it possible to manufacture medical devices of almost any shape. In addition, the use of various types of thread allows us to create medical materials with gradient bioresorption periods. Currently, we are actively working with SibSMU and other medical organizations to develop a set of models of the most "marketable" biodegradable implants, work is actively underway to test the development in various clinics of the Siberian Federal District and Russia as a whole.
In addition, the biopolymer can serve as a shell for dental drugs of prolonged action. Decomposing in a timely manner, it will gradually release the drug, providing a therapeutic effect.
For reference:
The first domestic biopolymer was developed in the department "Polymers and Monomers" of the TSU Catalytic Research Laboratory. The scientific director of the project is Professor Anatoly Filimoshkin, PhD.
LKI has a lot of advanced developments on its account. Including the technology of glyoxal synthesis, on the basis of which up to 2500 product names can be created, resin, which allows you to create reliable waterproofing, new building materials, temporary roads and many other innovative technologies.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru12.03.2015