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SPE/ASM/RTC Joint Meeting Wednesday, October 1, 2003 Ceramic, Metal and Plastic Biomaterial Implants for Human Body Repair
Technical Chairperson: Stu Weis & Myer Erzin ABSTRACT: Modern medicine utilizes the same types of materials for body repair as common every day things like metal screws and plastic toys. In some cases, such as hip and knee repair, materials are used in combination, metal and plastic. Ceramics are also growing in importance, such as bone repair. We welcome the opportunity to meet with other materials-related organizations to learn together of how medicine uses the same materials for life saving implants as we work with in non-medical applications. It will be a pleasure for the Western New England Section of the Society of Plastics Engineers to meet again with the Regional Technology Corporation of Western Massachusetts and the American Society of Materials Hartford Chapter. Our two speakers will provide insight into how ceramic, metal and plastic biomaterial implants are used for human body repair.
Dr. Roller received his Ph.D. in Polymeric Materials from Princeton. Some of the projects he has worked on at Johnson & Johnson have been polymer-based dental fillings and sutures. At the J&J Center for Biomaterials and Advanced Technologies, Ethicon, NJ, where he is Principal Scientist, he has several projects developing medical devices. He has been a seminar speaker at the UConn Institute of Materials Science on biomaterial implants and the regulatory approval process hurdles that medical devices face. Dr. Roller is a member of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE).
Dr. Mei Wei joined the Department of Metallurgy & Materials Engineering at UConn as Assistant Professor in January 2002. Her doctorate is in Biomaterials from the University of New South Wales, Australia. At UConn she does research on synthesis, characterization and cell culture of hydroxyapatite, a fundamental material of bone. She also prepares novel apatite/polymer composites mimicking the mechanical properties of bone making the implants more desirable for bone replacement. Dr. Wei is a member of the American Society of Materials (ASM). |
