VELLORE: A team of researchers from the Center for Biomaterials, Cellular and Molecular Theranostics (CBCMT) of Vellore Institute of Technology, was declared the winner of MaterialNEXT 2.0 hosted by TATA Steel on 9 July, said a release.
Tata Steel Advanced Materials Research Centres (TSAMRC) has actively associated with young college talents through their ‘Campus Connect’ program, and MaterialNEXT is an open innovation Pan-Indian event to identify budding research talents and materialize potential ideas. Team ‘Titans’ from VIT, Vellore, mentored by the director and senior professor Dr Geetha Manivasgam of CBCMT, comprising of interdisciplinary research scholars-Pearlin Hameed, Ansheed Raheem, Aswin G and Jishita R- bagged a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh after marking a prolific win in the grand finale.
After four screening levels, the team secured their final spot, competing against 250 teams from across the country. In the finale, they were challenged by runner-up ‘Team Changemakers’ from the IISc, Bangalore, and three other teams from IIT-Guwahati, and IIT-Gandhinagar.
The team innovated a novel 3D printed porous Titanium alloy that nearly mimics the properties of natural bone in contrast to conventional titanium alloys that are currently used. This would significantly alleviate many post-surgical complications and the innovation is expected to churn out indigenous porous bone grafts, plates, fixtures, screws, and dental implants, with superior biocompatibility and an affordable price tag. In tandem with the ‘Make in INDIA’ initiative, the next phase of this project will be to translate, commercialize and indigenize the manufacturing of porous orthopedic implants in India through active collaboration between VIT, Vellore, and TATA Steel, the release stated.