Materia Medica Malaysiana

Malaysia to make synthetic bone grafting

From The Star Online

MALAYSIA will produce and commercialise its own synthetic bone grafting materials for medical applications by 2009, an effort that will help reduce imports of such item by 60%.

Science, Technology and Environment Deputy Minister Datuk Zainal Dahalan said his ministry had allocated RM12mil for the project under the Intensification of Research in Priority Areas.

The synthetic bone grafting materials will be jointly produced by the Malaysian Institute for Nuclear Technology Research (Mint), Sirim Bhd, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM).

Datuk Zainal Dahalan looking through a microscope to view the development of bone graft substitutes. With him are Datuk Dr Mohd Ariffin Aton (left) and Sirim head of composite and bio material Dr Ishak Yahaya.
“Currently, synthetic bone grafting materials required for surgeries are fully imported and with the joint effort, we would be able to produce such materials on our own and reduce imports by 60%,” he said.

Zainal said between RM20mil and RM30mil worth of synthetic bone grafting materials were imported annually from Switzerland, Germany and the United States.

He said the joint research and development effort would be completed in three years and after a few years of clinical tests, the Malaysian-made synthetic bone grafting materials would be available for commercial production in 2009.

Zainal said this after witnessing the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) on behalf of Science, Technology and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Law Hieng Ding in Kulim, Kedah yesterday.

The MoA was signed by Sirim president and chief executive Datuk Dr Mohd Ariffin Aton, Mint director-general Datuk Dr Ahmad Sobri Hashim, USM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dzulkifly Abdul Razak, UKM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Mohd Salleh Mohd Yasin and IIUM acting deputy Rector of Academic Affairs Associate Prof Dr Mohd Azmi Omar.

Bone grafting is done by using human or animal bones, or processed corals. It can also done using synthetic bone grafting materials.

Bone grafting is a common procedure in surgical operations such as in orthopaedics, dental, maxillofacial, ENT and neurosurgery.

According to Sirim, a total of 30,000 orthopaedic procedures are conducted annually in the country, of which one third is estimated to involve bone-grafting procedures.

Prof Dzulkifly said the locally produced synthetic bone grafting materials could be exported, especially to Asian countries such as Indonesia.