BioTrib

The Australian National University (ANU) have invented a new jelly material from hydrogel that can repair itself after it has been broken like human skin can. Although Hydrogels are very weak having higher water content, the special chemistry they engineered in the hydrogel made it so strong that can hold 1000 times higher load than its own weight.

This jelly is also able to change its shape within a form of temperature and could retain its original properties after tearing. This ideal behaviour makes it highly applicable for next generation biomedical implant that will reduce the need for revision surgery.

One of the team member Ms Li Tan said, “If it was a biomedical implant it can basically self-heal within the human body without the need for additional surgery”.

For more information read and watch the video here!

Learn more about the progress of this new hydrogel technology on the Australian National University press release.

This article was written by MM Raihan as part of an ongoing series of scientific communications written and curated by BioTrib’s Early Stage Researchers.

Raihan is researching In-situ Measurement of Nano-scale Wear Utilising Advanced Sensors at University of Leeds, UK.

Further recognition for the inspirational work that our BioTrib colleague, Stephen Ferguson, undertakes in the field of MSK biomechanics – this time from the AO Research Institute at Davos.  The Berton Rahn Research Award was given for Stephen’s ground breaking work in the development of a new range of fibrous membranes that allows greater cellular mobility between fibres and more specific fibre orientation.

BioTrib wishes Stephen our warmest congratulations on his achievements in MSK engineering and science.

As a student from the U.K. I have minimal experience of working with people from different cultures. So moving to a new country in Sweden has provided me with new experiences.

Within my office alone, we are 3 nationalities (UK, Nepalese and Dutch) with the wider polymer group consisting of Russian German and Nepalese nationalities.

I find this really exciting as not only do you gain knowledge about the cultures but differences in academic approaches and problem solving, providing a diverse work environment that benefits everyone.

One of the most interesting aspects that I have learnt from is the education route for others, from international masters programs to those who studied in Luleå from the bachelor level.

Luleå as a city is a considerable distance away from each person’s hometown or original place of study. As such relocating is not simple or an easy feat. I believe that this is a small factor in the working environment of the group, as we all appreciate the effort, time and commitment that is needed to move to a completely different part of the world.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my first few months as a PhD student at LTU, and I’m looking forward to progressing alongside my new colleagues in the near future.

Header Image: Locations of original places of study in PhD group relative to Luleå

This article was written by Ben Clegg part of an ongoing series of scientific communications written and curated by BioTrib’s Early Stage Researchers.

Ben is researching the Wear particle characterization and bio-compatibility of newly 3D printed self-lubricating polymer composites in total joint replacements at Luleå University of Technology, Sweden.

BioTrib ETH Zurich ESRs Alessio Amicone and Elisa Bissacco, as well as other colleagues from ETH Zurich and from different research institutions, had the great opportunity to attend The Lab Networking event that took place on Friday, May 20th at Empa [1]. The Empa is the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, a fascinating and inspiring place in St. Gallen that generates top-notch research. The event was organized by the Young Scientists that are part of the Swiss Society for Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine (SSB+RM).

Following a welcome presentation that introduced the guests to Empa and specifically to activities in the department “Materials meet Life”, a guided lab tour allowed visitors to observe and learn about a variety of high-quality ongoing research at Empa, such as Hydrogel-composites in medicine, textile sensors, and implants & in vitro tissue models. To give an example, researchers at Empa have succeeded in creating optic sensor fibers that work perfectly in textiles. This could be very useful for hospitals that might use this information to see if a patient is developing pressure sores.

A networking session followed it, during which Empa-researchers showed their most recent work on posters and scientists had the opportunity to debate and exchange ideas with them.

“This visit was a great illustration of how interesting it can be to explore beyond your own study areas and see what is going on in other research fields, particularly how other disciplines evolve. It was also a great chance to network with other scientists working in the fields of biomaterials and regenerative medicine, whether from academia or specialized research institutions”, says Alessio. Elisa adds “It was a fantastic opportunity to tour Empa’s laboratory, to learn about their equipment instrumentation, and several applications in various fields.”

[1] https://www.empa.ch/web/empa/

This article was written by Alessio Amicone as part of an ongoing series of scientific communications written and curated by BioTrib’s Early Stage Researchers.

Alessio is investigating the Elucidation of Friction-Induced Failure Mechanisms in Fibrous Collagenous Tissues at ETH Zürich, Switzerland.

Additive manufacturing of medical devices can be used to fabricate the next generation of patient-specific implants and customised interventions. In particular metal additive manufacturing can be used to produce a wide range of load bearing orthopaedic and cranial implants.

However, a consensus on the tribological performance of components by additive-versus-conventional manufacturing has not been achieved; mainly because the tribological test set-ups thus far were not suited for investigating the underlying microstructure’s influence on the tribological properties.

As a result, utilization of additive manufacturing techniques, such as selective laser melting (SLM), for tribological applications remains questionable. Here, the Imperial researchers investigate the anisotropic tribological response of SLM 316L stainless steel via in situ SEM reciprocating micro-scratch testing to highlight the microstructure’s role.

These findings uncover some microstructurally driven tribological complexities when comparing additive to conventional manufacturing.

This study found that:

1. Microgeometric conformity was the main driver for achieving steady-state friction,
2. The anisotropic friction of the additively manufactured components is limited to the break-in and is caused by the lack of conformity,
3. The cohesive bonds, whose strength is proportional to frictional forces, are stronger in the additively manufactured specimens likely due to the dislocation-dense, cellular structures,
4. Low Taylor-factor grains with large dimension stimulate microcutting in the form of long, thin sheets with serrated edges. These findings uncover some microstructurally driven tribological complexities when comparing additive to conventional manufacturing.

Read more: Bahshwan, M., Gee, M., Nunn, J., Myant, C. W., & Reddyhoff, T. (2022). In situ observation of anisotropic tribological contact evolution in 316L steel formed by selective laser melting. Wear, 490, 204193.

Header Image: Contrasting the microstructure of 316L by additive manufacturing versus conventional manufacturing. The bottom photos show the actual specimens. The top cubes are microscopic images of etched specimens.

As is often the case for a doctoral student, I’m having the opportunity to be the supervisor of a bachelor student during the preparation and the writing of her dissertation. This is a very special time for the both of us as this is her next step in advancing her academic career and it’s also the first time (or nearly so) that I am stepping into the role of the teacher. For the ones that have no experience in this… Trust me, it is not an easy job!

The goal of our research is to understand whether certain bio-materials are cytotoxic, and judge if they can be used for further testing in the biomedical field; but of course it’s not only that. I truly believe that a good teacher should explain the entire environment of a laboratory or a university and not just dwell on the scientific or notional field. From day one, I’ve tried to teach her how to plan her experiments, how to keep track of her schedule, how to make sure she has the lab to herself when she needs it, how to interact with colleagues in the workplace and so on.

On the other hand, she taught me that to be a good teacher you need certain qualities that, to be honest, I lacked. A teacher must be patient and repeat himself when necessary. He must be present but not overwhelm the student (it is perfectly okay to make some mistakes at the beginning, and actually the student will learn quickly if you let him make his own mistakes).

Of course I knew all of these things theoretically, but I must admit that it was difficult to put them into practice at first. All in all, I learned something very important from this experience, that I believe is the key to good teaching. You can prepare your students to the best of your ability, but they won’t truly understand the lesson until they have had the opportunity and time to experience it for themselves.

This article was written by Niccoló De Berardinis as part of an ongoing series of scientific communications written and curated by BioTrib’s Early Stage Researchers.

Niccoló is researching Bioimaging of biomaterials and biological characterization of 3D-printed alloys for reconstructive surgery at Uppsala University, Sweden.

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. 

from article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

This pertains to all humans regardless of the position they take in society.  However, the significant LGBTQ+ community still faces stigma, discrimination and hate across the globe.  Examples of prejudice are numerous and include

• criminalisation of of aspects of LGBTQ+ life,  which in some cases incur the death penalty
• increased rates of violence and abuse

Even in Europe, which we sometimes view through rose-tinted glasses when it comes to LGBTQ+ rights, has serious issues when it comes to recognising equality.

As well as these headline figures, people from the LGBTQ+ community often suffer prejudice at work, in sport and with access to healthcare. As an example, the report by the respected UCLA School of Law clearly outlines the discrimination faced by LGBTQ+ people at work. For transgendered people this is exacerbated by misgendering and deadnaming.

We need to respect all people regardless and provide them with the opportunities and community we all expect.  

In a recent blog Tanmay Vora says it takes a wide variety of different personalities to rule the world – and particularly for sustaining innovative research environments, it is important to challenge the status quo and experiment with novel outside-the-box solutions.

Tanmay Vora say’s ‘Rebels’ are individuals in a group that at first can seem disagreeable and headstrong, initially challenging established team dynamics and procedures. In many cases, the rebel is misunderstood, from their perspective they simply feel restricted by routine or are just so passionate for their ideas to be heard. Rebels can be unpopular with many bosses, but they are an asset to many teams providing original insights and tenacious drive to solve any challenge. In many cases, a rebel just requires thoughtful effective leadership and supportive space to develop.

Strengths: Creative, imaginative, free-thinking, generates ideas and solves difficult problems, challenging, dynamic, and thrives on intellectual challenges. Has the drive and courage to overcome obstacles.

Allowable weaknesses: Might ignore incidentals, and may be too preoccupied to communicate effectively. Can be prone to provocation, and may sometimes offend people’s feelings.

Check out the complete graphic created by Tanmay Vora below on how to cultivate environments to best support the rebels boosting your team and research group!

Original sketch source and blog by Tanmay Vora are available here.

Traditions can sometimes contradict existing evidence, resulting in myths: such as “this was the best remedy yesterday, and it is still the best treatment now.” In the field of Total joint replacements (TJR), there are myths that are being practiced but do not know whether it is true or not. The consequences of continuing myths could result in additional pain, infections, blood loss, morbidity, and mortality for patients, as well as higher costs.

Husted et al.(2014) offered an insightful review that explores preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative traditions during joint replacement surgery and compares them to published research. The authors demonstrated that hair removal before to surgery, urine testing for bacteria, intraoperative use of plastic adhesive drapes, pre-warming of the operating room, use of a tourniquet, a space suit, and a urinary catheter should all be avoided. Similarly, there is no evidence to justify delaying washing or changing bandages until after 48 hours of surgery. There is also no evidence to support the use of routine dental antibiotic prophylaxis, continuous passive motion (CPM), compression stockings, cooling for pain relief or swelling reduction, flexion of at least 90 degrees as a discharge criterion after TKA, or having restrictions after THA.

After all, according to the American astronomer and astrophysicist Carl Sagan: “absence of evidence is not evidence of absence”. On the other hand, Dr Sagan stated that “it is better to light a candle than to curse at the darkness”. Ultimately, the authors made a strong proposal that revising the myths and traditions around hip and knee arthroplasty in favor of more relevant evidence-based approaches can improve early functional recovery, lowering morbidity, mortality, and the costs.

This is an interesting article from surgical and patient’s point of view. But it is always compelling to have new knowledge.

Article Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4259040/

Husted, H., Gromov, K., Malchau, H., Freiberg, A., Gebuhr, P., & Troelsen, A. (2014). Traditions and myths in hip and knee arthroplasty. Acta orthopaedica, 85(6), 548–555. https://doi.org/10.3109/17453674.2014.971661

This article was written by MM Raihan as part of an ongoing series of scientific communications written and curated by BioTrib’s Early Stage Researchers.

Raihan is researching In-situ Measurement of Nano-scale Wear Utilising Advanced Sensors at University of Leeds, UK.

New technology has been developed for obtaining same-time AFM and SEM imaging. With the combination of techniques, it is possible to obtain quick 3D topography, mechanical, electrical, and magnetic properties from AFM combined with 2D fast imaging from SEM at the same time [1].

Further, in microscopes equipped with energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) detectors, it is possible to obtain specific surface chemistry information [1]. Focused ion beams (FIB) can be employed to dissect precise areas of samples. Finally, using the software processing capabilities both images are merged offering robust results in techniques that traditionally required different machines. Further applications are discussed in detail in a webinar series conducted by the creators on the reference list [2].

References

[1] LiteScope. Available at: <https://www.nenovision.com/litescopetm/why-afm-in-sem/> Access 05 Apr. 2022.

[2] AFM-in-SEM: future of complex and in situ correlative analysis. Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=it2pyTmtO-A>  05 Apr. 22.

Header Image: SEM Images of cow bone CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

This article was written by André Plath as part of an ongoing series of scientific communications written and curated by BioTrib’s Early Stage Researchers.

André is researching Boundary Lubrication of Fibrous Scaffolds at ETH Zürich, Switzerland.