YOGYAKARTA – Faculty of Dentistry UGM’s lecturer, Ika Dewi Ana, DDS., Ph.D., was granted the Extraordinary Intellectual Property (AKIL) award by the Research, Technology, and Higher Learning Ministry in Jakarta last December for patent category. Her research is on artificial composite of carbonate apatite as bone substitute.
Ika said there were four researches she had produced, two already got patented while the rest has yet to await for patent application process.
The lady born in Yogyakarta 45 years ago spent some 15 years to research the composite. Under the brand name Gama-CHA, “This product has been tested on animals up to humans,” she said.
Gama-CHA Excellent Nature
Ika recounted the research stemmed from the fact that the graft or bone substitute on the market are mostly based on b-TCP (alfa-Trikalsium Fosfat) or HA (Hidroksiapatit) that have weaknesses. b-TCP is easily dissolved so before bone is formed, the graft that is expected to replace the extracellular matrix in bones does not exist. The HA that is produced in high temperature is difficult to be resorbed by the cells. So, in one or two years after surgery, if the area is opened, HA will be found instead of bones.
The Gama-CHA produced by UGM, says Ika, can be developed for various regenerative therapies. Clinically, Gama-CHA can be good bone scaffolding in regenerative surgery. Even Gama-CHA enables dentists, oral surgeons, periodontists, orthopaedics for rapid grow of loss bones without having to take other healty bones.
Ika said hundreds of patients have been helped with the Gama-CHA product that has gone commercial. “Prior to registration with the Health Ministry, the product had been tested to various patients,” she explained.