Military and Civilian Rehabilitation (Prosthetics)

The urgency of the problem of prosthetics and the development of new strategies for comprehensive psychophysical and social rehabilitation of civilians and military affected by the hostilities sets clear tasks for Karazin University to create an educational, scientific, clinical and practical base as soon as possible to meet the needs of the entire region of the country.

Karazin University is developing a large-scale project to create a Center for Prosthetics and Physical Rehabilitation. The concept of creating an interdisciplinary Center involving experts from several schools of the University (medical, psychological, physical, biological, chemical, etc.) has been developed to implement the idea of a cross-platform educational, professional, research and clinical and practical space, taking into account the experience of the world’s leading health care systems.

As part of the Center’s work, it is planned to create an educational cluster that will provide training for experts in the framework of master’s programs in the specialties 222 Medicine and 225 Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine and within the framework of the system of continuous professional development and advanced training of doctors.

The research cluster consolidates the efforts of scientists from several fields of science to create a multifocal integrated system of prosthetics and rehabilitation. It is planned to develop innovative approaches to modeling the stump, early and late stages of manufacturing prosthesis parts, as well as physical rehabilitation activities and the functioning of a psychological support service. A special feature of the Center’s research initiatives will be the involvement of experts from the Schools of Physics, Biology, and Chemistry. Thus, today, Karazin University scientists under the direction of Prof. Zoltan Zyman at the Institute of Solid State Physics have synthesized unique Ukrainian calcium phosphate materials that are similar in composition, morphology and structure to the mineral component of vertebrate hard tissue - ion-substituted non-stoichiometric calcium phosphate based on hydroxyapatite (HA). A new model for the crystallization of HA from amorphous calcium phosphate during precipitation from solutions is proposed. The nature and character of structural changes in HA nanopowders during annealing have been studied. A new effect of activation of sintering of HA nanopressings caused by the influence of impurities was revealed.

Based on the results of scientific studies of physical processes during the synthesis and annealing of calcium phosphates, ceramic biomaterials with functional characteristics close to those of natural human bone have been created. The materials, which have shown excellent biocompatibility and bioactivity in animal experiments, have been introduced clinically; more than 450 successful orthopedic surgeries have been performed (Sitenko Institute of Spine and Joint Pathology of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine). Postoperative studies have shown that the created biomaterials are highly effective artificial substitutes and fillers for bone defects and are suitable for wide clinical use. The advantages of the developed materials are low cost, bioactivity (high integration with bones), and high recovery rate (postoperative period: 6-12 months).

Further studies of promising calcium-phosphate biomaterials are currently underway. Calcium-phosphate nanomaterials are promising for obtaining ceramics with improved properties and drug transport. Functional gradient materials, in which the content of impurities or phase composition gradually changes from the surface to the depth, have a number of advantages over traditional biomaterials.

Several types of bone cements have been developed and are being tested on animals - paste-like calcium-phosphate masses that set in an optimal time. Needle-shaped crystals of hydroxyapatite are used as hardeners for ceramics and cements. Their use is being tested for filling bone defects of complex shape with minimal surgical intervention, in particular those resulting from gunshot wounds.

The success of the above achievements is due to the cooperation with the leading European Center for Nanomaterials (Center for Nanointegration Duisburg-Essen (CENIDE)) at the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Duisburg-Essen (Germany). In addition to the institute, the center is headed by Prof. Matthias Epple, who is also a member of the Board of Management of the German-Ukrainian Academic Society.

Contact person

Mariia Brynza
E-mail: m.brynza@karazin.ua