Advanced Technologies and Polymer Materials for Surgical Sutures

Sabu Thomas is a Professor and Director of the International and Interuniversity Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, India. Professor Thomas is internationally recognized for his contributions to polymer science and engineering, with his research interests encompassing polymer nanocomposites, elastomers, polymer blends, interpenetrating polymer networks, polymer membranes, green composites, nanocomposites, nanomedicine, and green nanotechnology. His groundbreaking inventions in polymer nanocomposites, polymer blends, green bionanotechnology, and nano-biomedical sciences have significantly advanced the development of new materials for the automotive, space, housing, and biomedical fields.

Ben currently leads the RKT Centre for Polymer Micro and Nano Technology based at the University of Bradford which provides a key resource for industry working to bring micro and nano scale components to market, alongside internationally recognised pioneering academic research in the field.

Blessy Joseph is a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA. She earned degrees in Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering from the University of Kerala, India, including a master’s focused on Molecular Medicine. She later pursued her PhDin the same field at Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, India. Her research focuses on nanotechnology, drug delivery systems, biomaterials, and polymer nanocomposites for tissue engineering.

Dr Nair graduated from Bharathi Vidyapeeth College of Pharmacy (India) with a Bachelor Degree in Pharmacy and he gained a PGDip in pharmacology from Nottingham Trent University. He also has an MSc in drug delivery from Aston University, Birmingham. In 2014 he completed his PhD in Pharmaceutical Engineering from Polymer IRC, University of Bradford and since then he is working as a Post-Doctoral Researcher on Healthcare Impact Partnership project on Smart Manufacturing of Medical Devices for soft tissue fixation (e.g. rotator cuff and anterior cruciate ligament repairs; fixations for fracture (including intramedullary nails) and knee joint replacements). The aim of this collaborative project is to exploit unique capabilities in shape memory polymers and biomaterials for enhanced biomedical cementless fixations using controlled shape reversion, in clinically relevant timescales, and open up opportunities for new solutions in orthopaedic repairs, which will have a defined route to regulatory certification and a clear patent pathway.