Academic Qualifications
Ph.D from Regional Research laboratory (CSIR) Trivandrum, under University of Kerala 1993 On synthesis of Advanced Ceramic systems such as superconducting rare earth oxide ceramics.
Professional Record
Joined in SCTIMST and started the division Bioceramic laboratory , 1993 .
Junior and Senior Research Fellow ( CSIR) at Regional Research laboratory ( now NIIST) Trivandrum during 1987-1993.
Awards
President, Society for Biomaterials and Artificial Organs, India
Fellow of Indian Institute of Ceramics 2009
Received the prestigious Materials Research Society of India ( MRSI) Medal in the Year 2010.
Fellow of Society for Biomaterials and artificial Organs, India, FBAO, 2011
Area of Interest
Bioceramic materials for hard tissue prosthetic application. Tissue Engineering, biomimetic chemistry, pulsed laser Deposition of bioactive coatings etc.
Current Activities
Micro and nano porous bioceramic substrates having capacity to carry drugs and biologics for the treatment of refractory osteomyelitis and osteonecrosis.
Bone filler cements based on calcium sulphate and calcium phosphates, which are superior in resorption characteristics and having the capacity for drug delivery.
Coating of hydroxyapatite layers on to titanium implant surface using Pulsed Laser Deposition technique, so as to increase the integration with bone.
Silica-based biosensors for the detection of markers in blood for diagnostic applications.
Magnetic nanoparticles for radiological and therapeutic applications.
Biomiemetic materials as bone implants.
On-going Projects
"Bioresorbable nano porous bioceramic matrices for drug delivery in osteoporosis management", PI, funded by DST (Rs.31,06,000).
"Translational research on biomaterials for orthopaedic and dental applications" (As a part of Center of Excellence program, Co-ordinated by IISc), as Co-PI, supported by DBT (Rs.69,73,000)
"Bioactive inter-vertebral spacers for lumbar fusion" (As a part of the National Technical Research Center for Biomedical Devices, co-ordinated by SCTIMST), as Co-I, supported by DST (Rs.31,23,000)
"Bioactive material platform for drug delivery in bone" (As a part of the National Technical Research Center for Biomedical Devices, co-ordinated by SCTIMST), as PI, Supported by DST (Rs.58,55,000).
DBT sponsored project" Treatment of larhe Segmental Bone Defects with custom made Triphasic Hydroxyapatite Scaffolds Loaded with Autologous Mesenchymal Stem cells in Children" Co PI
Indo-Japan Collaborative programme"Synthesis and Biological evaluation of Inorganic-Organic Composite for encapsulation of Bioactive Substances' with Osaka city University, Japan Rs. 5.07000 PI
Indo Denmark Collaborative for 'Musculoskeletal Stem cells in Tissue regeneration ( Co-PI) 26,56 lakhs
DBT sponsored project on 'Tissue Engineering" Cell based tissue engineered fabrication of Osteochondral constructs Co -I : 54 Lakhs
Patents
15 patents in the area of preparation and processing of various bioceramic materials
Fellowships
Recipient of Post doctoral fellowship from Lady Davis Fellowship Trust to carry out research at Technion, Haifa, Israel 1993.
Visiting Fellow at Inter disciplinary Research Centre in Biomedical Materials, Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London and worked under Prof.W.Bonfield in the area of toughening of Hydroxy apatite ceramics under the British Council Fellowship, May to July, 1995.
Recipient of STA Post Doctoral Fellowship from Science and Technology Agency, Japan . Studies development of calcium phosphate coating over various biomaterial surfaces by Biomimetic processing. Functionalization of material surfaces for making susceptible to calcium phosphate nucleation under in-vitro conditions. Bioceramic Laboratory, National industrial Research Institute of Nagoya(NIRIN), Nagoya, Japan. March 1997 to September 1998.
Visiting Scientist at Institut fur Verbundwerkstoffe ( Institute for Composite materials, University of Kaiserslautern, Germany under DST -DAAD Scientific collaborative programm on Bioceramic-polymer composites with Prof. Klaus Friedrich July- August 2001
Invited Fellow at National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Shidami , Nagoya, Japan January to April 2002 under JSPS Invitation Fellowship Programme for Research in Japan in the area of Biomimetic Processing of Bioceramic Materials.
INDO- DAAD Fellow at Max Bergmann centre for Biomaterials at Technical University of Dresden, Germany 2006 and 2009
Visiting researcher at Osaka City Univeristy under INDO-Japan Collaborative programme ( DST-JSPS) since 2015
Membership
Secretary, Society for Biomaterials and Artificial Organs, India ( SBAOI).
Founder Secretary, Society for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, India ( STERMI).
Life Member, Indian Ceramic Society.
Projects Completed
"Pulsed laser coating of bioactive ceramic composite on titanium bone implants", as PI, funded by KSCSTE (Completed)
Technology Transferred
Based on the technology developed in the Bioceramic Laboratory, the know how has been given to Three Companies to produce clinically useful implants for orthopaedic and dental application. Some of their products are currently available in the market
Publications
2
Lovely, M.; Naidu, E.M.; Nair, K.C.; Subramoniam, R.; Komath, M.; Varma, HK, Design and Development of an Implant System for Auricular Prosthesis, Trends Biomater. Artif. Organs, 2010, 24; 11---18
3
Acharya, Narayana K; Mahajan, Chinnappa V; Kumar, Renjit J; Varma, Hari Krishna; Menon, Venugopal K, Can iliac crest reconstruction reduce donor site morbidity?: a study using degradable hydroxyapatite-bioactive glass ceramic composite.,
J Spinal Disord Tech, 2010, 23; 266-71,
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/201249084
Ajeesh, M; Francis, B F; Annie, John; Harikrishna Varma, P R, Nano iron oxide-hydroxyapatite composite ceramics with enhanced radiopacity.,
J Mater Sci Mater Med, 2010, 21; 1427-34,
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/201958895
Sailaja, G S; Ramesh, P; Varma, H K, Ultrastructural evaluation of in vitro mineralized calcium phosphate phase on surface phosphorylated poly(hydroxy ethyl methacrylate-co-methyl methacrylate).,
J Mater Sci Mater Med, 2010, 21; 1183-93,
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/200990106
Suganthi, R V; Girija, E K; Narayana Kalkura, S; Varma, H K; Rajaram, A, Self-assembled right handed helical ribbons of the bone mineral hydroxyapatite.,
J Mater Sci Mater Med, 2009, 20 Suppl 1; S131-6,
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/185683887
Nair, Manitha B; Varma, H K; John, Annie, Triphasic ceramic coated hydroxyapatite as a niche for goat stem cell-derived osteoblasts for bone regeneration and repair.,
J Mater Sci Mater Med, 2009, 20 Suppl 1; S251-8,
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/188532408
Gopalakrishnanchettiyar, S.S.; Mohanty, M.; Kumary, T.V.; Valappil, M.P.; Parameshwaran, R.; Varma, H.K., Surface-Phosphorylated Copolymer Promotes Direct Bone Bonding,
Tissue Engineering Part A, 2009, 15; 3061---3069,
http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/ten.tea.2008.04549
Sailaja, G S; Sreenivasan, K; Yokogawa, Y; Kumary, T V; Varma, H K, Bioinspired mineralization and cell adhesion on surface functionalized poly(vinyl alcohol) films.,
Acta Biomater, 2009, 5; 1647-55,
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1919594510
Nair, Manitha B; Varma, H K; John, Annie, Platelet-rich plasma and fibrin glue-coated bioactive ceramics enhance growth and differentiation of goat bone marrow-derived stem cells.,
Tissue Eng Part A, 2009, 15; 1619-31,
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1907208511
Nair, M.B.; Varma, HK; Menon, KV; Shenoy, S.J.; John, A., Reconstruction of goat femur segmental defects using triphasic ceramic-coated hydroxyapatite in combination with autologous cells and platelet-rich plasma,
Acta Biomaterialia, 2009, 5; 1742---1755,
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2009.01.00913
Nair, Manitha B; Varma, H K; Menon, K V; Shenoy, Sachin J; John, Annie, Tissue regeneration and repair of goat segmental femur defect with bioactive triphasic ceramic-coated hydroxyapatite scaffold.,
J Biomed Mater Res A, 2009, 91; 855-65,
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1906556914
Rajesh, JB; Nandakumar, K.; Varma, HK; Komath, M., Calcium phosphate cement as a" barrier-graft" for the treatment of human periodontal intraosseous defects,
Indian Journal of Dental Research, 2009, 20; 471,
http://www.ijdr.in/text.asp?2009/20/4/471/5945915
Acharya, Narayana K; Kumar, Renjit J; Varma, Hari Krishna; Menon, Venugopal K, Hydroxyapatite-bioactive glass ceramic composite as stand-alone graft substitute for posterolateral fusion of lumbar spine: a prospective, matched, and controlled study.,
J Spinal Disord Tech, 2008, 21; 106-11,
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1839171416
Nair, Manitha B; Suresh Babu, S; Varma, H K; John, Annie, A triphasic ceramic-coated porous hydroxyapatite for tissue engineering application.,
Acta Biomater, 2008, 4; 173-81,
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1780430917
Easwer, H V; Rajeev, A; Varma, H K; Vijayan, S; Bhattacharya, R N, Cosmetic and radiological outcome following the use of synthetic hydroxyapatite porous-dense bilayer burr-hole buttons.,
Acta Neurochir (Wien), 2007, 149; 481-5; discussion 48,
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1743153720
Velayudhan, S.; Ramesh, P.; Varma, HK; Schmitt, S.; Friedrich, K., Stamp forming of hydroxyapatite filled ethylene vinyl acetate co-polymers: Process optimization using a right angle V-mould,
Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, 2007, 38; 1621---1629,
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesa.2006.03.01322
Sailaja, G S; Ramesh, P; Kumary, T V; Varma, H K, Human osteosarcoma cell adhesion behaviour on hydroxyapatite integrated chitosan-poly(acrylic acid) polyelectrolyte complex.,
Acta Biomater, 2006, 2; 651-7,
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1689941823
Sailaja, GS; Kumari, TV; Yokogawa, Y.; Varma, HK, In Vitro Mineralization and Cell Adhesion on Surface Modified Poly (2-hydroxy ethyl methacrylate-co-methyl methacrylate,
Key Engineering Materials, 2006, 309; 493---496,
http://www.scientific.net/KEM.309-311.49326
Velayudhan, Shiny; Anilkumar, T V; Kumary, T V; Mohanan, P V; Fernandez, A C; Varma, H K; Ramesh, P, Biological evaluation of pliable hydroxyapatite-ethylene vinyl acetate co-polymer composites intended for cranioplasty.,
Acta Biomater, 2005, 1; 201-9,
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1670179728
John, A.; Varma, HK; Kumari, TV; Nisha, VR; Narayanan, D., Cytocompatibility Studies of a Novel Bioactive Glass Coated Porous Hydroxyapatite Bioceramic for Use as a Bone Substitute,
Key Engineering Materials, 2005, 284; 317---320,
http://www.scientific.net/KEM.284-286.31730
Menon, KV; Varma, HK, Radiological outcome of tibial plateau fractures treated with percutaneously introduced synthetic porous hydroxyapatite granules,
European Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery & Traumatology, 2005, 15; 205---213,
http://www.springerlink.com/content/n021167112r70165/