ProfessorHala Zreiqat

Millions of people worldwide suffer bone loss due to injury, infection, disease or abnormal skeletal development, and treatment frequently requires regeneration of new bone. Since each patient has only a limited amount of bone available for grafting, the demand for synthetic bone substitutes is high. Those currently available are far from optimal, but Professor Hala Zreiqat has developed a unique ceramic material that acts as a scaffold on which the body can regenerate new bone, then gradually degrades as it is replaced by natural bone.

"The bone substitute my team and I have developed resembles natural bone in terms of architecture, strength and porosity. So it is strong enough to withstand the loads that will be applied to it, and also contains pores that allow blood and nutrients to penetrate it. In this way it is designed to encourage normal bone growth, and to eventually be replaced by natural bone in the body.

"The fact that it actually 'kick starts' the process of bone regeneration makes it far superior to other available materials. Our tests also show that it will not be rejected by the body. In addition, we can make as many implants as we want from this material, so availability will not be a problem.

"This material has the potential to positively affect the quality of life of millions of people globally, so we are hoping to see it in use clinically within the next 10 years.