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Orthopaedic Research |
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The Department of Surgery, Division of Orthopaedics, sponsors a full Orthopaedic Research Laboratory, which is located in the basement of the Lyons-Harrison Research Building. The laboratory assists in any research related to the study of orthopaedics at UAB, where our focus has been related to biomechanics and biomaterials. We have four full-time staff members, who are specialists in laboratory animal technology, histotechnology, soft and hard tissue processing, scanning electron microscopy, metrology, and implant retrieval analysis. Our implant retrieval analysis program is aimed at the study of musculoskeletal reconstructive surgery orthopaedic devices, which have been explanted during revision surgery. Together with pathologists and representatives from the Biomedical Engineering Department, we study biomaterial-to-tissue interfaces, clinical records and outcomes, device function, engineering material properties and design features. In this way, we hope to make recommendations for improvements on future devices and treatments. We also do outside histology work for researchers who need plastic-embedded sections, since we have the Exakt cutting and grinding system, which is designed to produce precision-parallel thin sections of bone samples containing synthetic material implants. Our lab features the Micro-Vu system, which is capable of visualization and 3-D coordinate measurements. We also do SEM-EDAX, image analysis, profilometry and coordinate measurement. An affiliated laboratory includes facilities for biomechanical testing (MTS Bionix 858 and Instron machines), metallography, casting surface modifications and laboratory wear testing. The goal of the orthopaedic research laboratory is to facilitate
the three main goals of UAB, which are excellence in education,
research, and patient care service. UAB is the only institution
in the state to have passed the $200 million mark in external research
funding. Ours is one of over seventy special research centers within
UAB which are federally designated in nationally competitive fields.
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Copyright 2002 - UAB Division of Orthopaedics - All Rights Reserved
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