Through employing an engineering process called electro spinning, Rachel Ambury (student inventor) was able to produce a series of “bioresorbable” polymer scaffolds, that can be implanted surgically for the purpose of holding tissue together and aiding in the process of cell repair and re-growth. Here’s more from the University of Manchester:
A University of Manchester engineering student has scooped a top industry prize for research that could bring relief to thousands of back pain sufferers.
Rachael Ambury scooped The Morgan Crucible prize for the Best Materials Student in the annual Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) Student of the Year Awards.
Her final year project, which focused on tissue engineering and examined how special braces or ‘scaffolds’ could be used to treat slipped discs and other back problems, received glowing praise from the panel of judges.
The spark of inspiration for Rachael’s work came from a PhD student, who was working on a project on back pain. The condition is reported to affect two out of three adults at some time in their lives and it is estimated UK industry loses billions of pounds as a result.
Employing an engineering process known as electro spinning, Rachael produced a series of ‘bioresorbable’ polymer scaffolds, which can be surgically implanted to hold tissue together, helping cells repair and re-grow.
Using these bioresorbable scaffolds, which dissolve naturally over time, reduces the cost of treatment and allows the patient to recover quicker.
Rachael’s project, entitled ‘Novel bioresorbable electrospun synthetic polymer scaffolds for tissue-engineered intervertebral disc repairs’ was part of her MEng in Biomedical Materials Science with Industrial Experience.