Optimising sustainability and reproducibility of total joint replacement experimental simulation

This PhD research project focuses on designing, developing and validating animal-free sustainable lubricants for joint replacement research and testing. To gain regulatory approval of new Class III medical devices and to determine the safety and reliability of joint replacements prior to clinical adoption, several mechanical and tribological evaluations must be carried out. Despite standardisation of methods, comparing wear data from different laboratories can be challenging due to fundamental differences in tribological simulation systems, particularly the lubricant used. Bovine serum has been commonly used for over 35 years, but there are significant ethical and environmental concerns regarding animal welfare and the environmental impact of the livestock industry. Novel sustainable alternatives to bovine serum, such as plant protein microgels, will be designed, synthesised and explored through this project. They will be validated by determining the friction and wear of metal-on-polyethylene bearing configurations using experimental simple geometry pin-on-plate studies as well as more complex knee simulation. The overall desired outcome is optimisation of tribological experimental simulation of total joint replacements to enhance sustainability, repeatability and efficiency, whilst retaining physiological relevancy in pre-clinical evaluation of safety and reliability.