Dr Bo Su from the Biomaterials Engineering Group in the Department of Oral and Dental Science has been awarded a grant of £263,000 from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to develop orthopaedic implants that perform better and last longer than current models.

If current demographic trends continue, people will live longer but will want to remain as flexible and active as they are now. Many will need to have orthopedic implants like hip or knee replacements, as do younger people with severe sports injuries.

For years titanium and its alloys have been widely used in orthopedic implants but in many cases the implant can become loose within a period of ten years, consequently leading to pain or inflammation. In a worst-case scenario additional surgery is required.

Using micro- and nanotechnology, the research will look at developing orthopaedic implants that perform better over a longer lifetime.

The project will run until June 2012 and is a multidisciplinary collaboration between Dr Su and Dr Matt Dalby from the Centre for Cell Engineering at the University of Glasgow.