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Contact Details

Phone
+64 3 479 7456 or Mob +64 21 139 7912
Email
azam.ali@otago.ac.nz
Position
Professor
Department
Department of Oral Rehabilitation
Qualifications
BSC(Hons) MSc PhD (Polymer, Biomaterials Science and Engineering)
Research summary
Biomaterials, biofabrication, medical devices, tissue engineering and regeneration
Teaching
  • APPS 201: Materials: Properties and Applications
  • BIOE 401: Research Methods
  • BIOE 403: Bioengineering Design
  • BIOE 404: Medical Devices and Technology
  • BIOE 480/495: Research Projects
Memberships
  • Medtech CoRE
  • New Zealand Controlled Release Society (NZCRS)
  • Canterbury Medical Research Society (CMRS), New Zealand
  • International Association for Dental Research (IADR)
  • Australasian Society for Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering (ASBTE)
Clinical
Regeneration of ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ tissues including recent research activities: dental pulp, pulp-dentine, and tooth tissues regeneration

Research

Research into biomaterials involves the precise engineering of novel materials including molecularly engineered biomaterials (i.e. engineered therapeutics), fabrication of biomaterials into medical devices, and technology for biomedical applications (human and animal). In addition to having specific physical, mechanical, and biological properties, biomaterials must be biocompatible with healing and tissue regeneration abilities. The research, therefore, encompasses elements of medicine, material science and tissue engineering.

Innovative materials can drive the creation of new products (e.g. medical devices and technology) in many life-science sectors. This makes it a crucial pillar for engineered therapeutics. Thus, the biomaterials and bioengineering team have sound expertise and experiences in multifaceted applied and pure research and commercial sector partnership. Located within the Centre for Bioengineering and Nanomedicine (Dunedin hub), Faculty of Dentistry, Division of Health Sciences, University of Otago, this research focuses on materials / biomaterials (including dental biomaterials), regenerative medicine, stem cells and their relationships with humans.

Research includes:

  • Skin and dermal tissue regeneration
  • Bone substitutes and bone ceramics
  • Dental biomaterials and bone grafts
  • Intervertebral Disc (IVD) replacement
  • Heart valve leaflet
  • Medical gels
  • Drug-eluting medical sutures
  • Neural tissue regeneration

Granted patents:

  • Wound care medical products containing wool keratin, US patent No. 7732574 and European patent No. EP1694370
  • Biocomposite biomaterials containing biopolymer wool keratin, US patent No. 7767756
  • Bone void fillers and methods of making the same, US Patent 8142807
  • Porous keratin construct and method of making the same, US Patent 8124735 and European patent: EP2099437 A2
  • Porous Keratin constructs, wound healing assembles and method using the same, US patent US/2008 0317826 A1
  • Nanocomposite negative photoresists for next-generation Lithography, US Patent No. 7049044 B2

Visit our website for more information:
Centre for Bioengineering and Nanomedicine: Biomaterials

Publications

Deng, X., Gould, M. L., Katare, R. G., & Ali, M. A. (2025). Antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory surgical sutures fabricated by melt mixing of a polymer blend with curcumin-loaded microspheres. Polymer Engineering & Science. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1002/pen.27159 Journal - Research Article

Gould, M. L., Deng, X., Lyons, K., & Ali, A. (2024). In vivo and in vitro response to a regenerative dental scaffold. Materials, 17, 5384. doi: 10.3390/ma17215384 Journal - Research Article

Bhowmik, S., Agyei, D., & Ali, A. (2024). Smart chitosan films as intelligent food packaging: An approach to monitoring food freshness and biomarkers. Food Packaging & Shelf Life, 46, 101370. doi: 10.1016/j.fpsl.2024.101370 Journal - Research Article

Ali, M. A., Gould, M., & Bhowmik, S. (2024). Functional protein-based biomaterials. In N. Bandara & A. Ullah (Eds.), Functional materials from lipids and proteins. (pp. 246-279). London, UK: Royal Society of Chemistry. doi: 10.1039/9781839167980-00246 Chapter in Book - Research

Bhowmik, S., Agyei, D., & Ali, A. (2024). Enhancement of mechanical, barrier, and functional properties of chitosan film reinforced with glycerol, COS, and gallic acid for active food packaging. Sustainable Materials & Technologies, 41, e01092. doi: 10.1016/j.susmat.2024.e01092 Journal - Research Article

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