Someday, Antoni Tomsia’s research could help people live full lives
even as their bones weaken. The Berkeley Lab scientist recently received
a $4.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop
bone-like materials that could greatly improve implants such as artificial
hips and shoulders.
|
|

|
 |
|
|
Antoni
Tomsia’s pursuit of better biomaterials blurs the boundaries
between several scientific disciplines. |
|
|
|
Tomsia’s goal is to harness the latest advances in nanotechnology
to fabricate implants that repair themselves, adapt to changing physiological
conditions, and mesh with surrounding tissue — in other words, behave
like real bone. In contrast, today’s artificial joints are made
from metal alloys that often trigger inflammation and immune responses,
or require corrective surgery after only a few years. The need for better
biomaterials is further underscored by the growing demand for artificial
joints. More than 150,000 hip replacements and nearly 300,000 knee replacements
were performed in 2000, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.
These numbers are expected to swell in the future as baby boomers age.
To meet these demands, and create the next generation of artificial joints,
Tomsia has assembled a multidisciplinary team of scientists from Berkeley
Lab, the University of California's Berkeley and San Francisco campuses,
and other institutions.
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
Tomorrow’s
strong, long-lasting artificial joints could rely on scaffolding with
a dense core and increasingly greater porosity toward the surface. |
|
|
“We’re at the interface of chemistry, biology,
materials science, and medicine,” says Tomsia, “Teamwork is
absolutely necessary to design better implants.”
Tomsia, who arrived from Poland as a postdoc in 1978, is a 25-year veteran
of Berkeley Lab's Materials Sciences Division.
His career has steadily trended toward the development of more lifelike
biomaterials. After following his father’s footsteps into materials
science, his Berkeley Lab research has focused on exploring the interface
between metals and ceramics. His foray into hydroxyapatite and hydrogel-based
materials began several years ago, when he designed coatings for industrial
applications as part of DOE Basic Energy Sciences-funded research. Now,
the NIH bioengineering research partnership grant allows Tomsia and his
team to more thoroughly investigate the biological attributes of these
substances.

|