Nanotechnology for Medical Applications

Date: 04/08/2011
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Location: 210 Shillman
Speaker: Dr, Anuj Bellare, Director, Orthopedic Nanotechnology Laboratory, Brigham & Womens Hospital and Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, Harvard Medical School

In recent years, nanotechnology has made great strides in medical applications. There are several examples of nanotechnology-based materials such as nanofibers, which have been used as tissue constructs, nanotubes and nanofibers for application in composite implant materials, nanoparticles for more effective drug delivery, gene delivery and imaging applications, and nanocoatings as a more effective interface between implants and biological tissues. In this presentation, examples of nanotechnology in orthopedic applications such as in total joint replacement prostheses will be reviewed. I will also present some of our own research in this area to increasing the fracture toughness and resistance to fatigue crack propagation in orthopedic cements used for fixation of joint replacement prostheses to peri-prosthetic tissue.