Glass Technology Services Limited
University of Leeds

Dina is researching different synthetic materials that could be used to fill large missing spaces in bone tissue following serious trauma or surgery. Currently, cadaver or animal bone material is used, but these methods often trigger autoimmune responses in recipients, delaying healing times, increasing the risk of further infection, and leading to more surgery. This also inevitably increases costs for the NHS.

Using her knowledge of mechanical engineering and experience in materials science, Dina will make physiologically engineered synthetic bone that is bio-compatible with human bone tissue, providing a porous solid structure that can facilitate blood flow and cell growth without causing autoimmune responses. This will involve researching different alloys, as well as digitally designing implants and new surgical techniques. The materials she will research include titanium alloys with calcium phosphates to promote the growth of the hard-soft tissue interface and increase blood circulation in bones.

Dina studied an MSc in Materials Science at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Aleppo, Syria. She was recognised in 2014 by the Syrian Society for Scientific Research (SSSR) for her academic and professional excellence, and has been awarded a certificate of Distinction and a membership of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Her research will be supervised by the Materials Engineering team led by Professor Animesh Jha and Orthopaedic Trauma and Surgery Consultant Professor Peter Giannoudis, at the University of Leeds. Her industrial support is from Glass Technology Services, led by Mr Dave Dalton.