Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed

A biomaterial is a material used either to replace or repair living tissues, or to help them perform their function properly. Those are typically used in the artificial hip joints, heart valves, drug delivery systems, dental implants and various biosensors. Towards the understanding of the interaction between the material surface and biological system is an important requirement for the development of biomaterials. When biomaterials are exposed to a living organism, there are many reactions occurring at the interface between the host and biomaterial surfaces. The reactions are determined by the chemical composition, surface energy, roughness and topography of the top surface layers that are in contact with body fluids and cells (biological systems). My research focuses on the synthesis, characterization and optimization of materials such as diamond like carbon (DLC) and Titanium Oxide for Biomedical applications. I use rational synthesis of silicon, nitrogen, silver and fluorine based DLC and TiO2, and imaging techniques along with physicochemical characterization of materials and proteins or amino acids to directly correlate material structural and physical properties to therapeutic gain. Experimental techniques and methodologies that are being developed as a part of my research endeavour are generally applicable to any material system where interplay between structure, properties, and performance becomes significant. My research currently focuses on the application of nano-particles in drug delivery systems, to better understanding the kinetics and mechanism of interaction between the nano-particles and living systems.