SUPERVISOR: Helga LICHTENEGGER

PROJECT ASSIGNED TO: Thomas BRETSCHNEIDER

Bio-resorbable implants hold great promise for future use in bone fracture healing. As their name suggest, they have the unique ability to degrade over time. Compared to currently used Titanium implants this could be a significant improvement. Since bio-resorbable implants vanish overtime they don’t require an extra surgical procedure for removal. Especially for high-risk patients this could be a great advancement towards better quality of live and risk management.

Within this project we work to gain better insight into the response of bone to bio-resorbable implants. We investigate structural, mechanical and chemical properties of bone on multiple length scales and how they develop over time during the bone healing period. To achieve this we use a multitude of different measurement techniques like small angle x-ray scattering, nanoindentation and electron microscopy. Together with our project partners (Medical University Graz, TU Wien and the Paul-Scherrer Institute, Switzerland) we are working towards a predictive model for bone response to bio-resorbable implants.