A LOCAL MSP has congratulated Clydebank's Golden Jubilee Hospital for their international recognition.

The hospital gained global attention following a ground-breaking research paper which explores the prospect of 3D printing hip and knee joint replacements mixed with a patient’s own biological cells into the body.

The study was co-authored by orthopaedic specialists at NHS Golden Jubilee in collaboration with the University of Strathclyde.

Marie McNair, Clydebank and Milngavie MSP, recently submitted a Parliamentary Motion congratulating the team.

She said: "This research is an incredibly impressive achievement in the medical field of joint replacement.

“The Golden Jubilee University National Hospital continue to excel, and so it’s only right that their achievements are recognised in parliament.

"This motion recognises and celebrates this research, and the international recognition it has achieved."

Conditions such as arthritis, cancer, infection or trauma can result in significant bone loss or destruction.

The idea is then that by using 3D printing technology combined with biological components such as patient stem cells, they can produce live biological implants that could be placed into patients and heal into place within them, instead of the current alternatives like metal implants, which can fail over time in the body as they wear out or come loose.

The paper, which is titled ‘3D bioactive composite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering’, was published in the influential medical journal Bioactive Materials in 2017 and has been awarded Best Paper by KeAi as part of the publisher’s 10-year anniversary celebrations.

It is considered to be a landmark paper in its field, receiving more than 1100 citations by other orthopaedic specialists and researchers.

The primary author, Gareth Turnbull, was a Clinical Research Fellow at NHS Golden Jubilee when the paper was written and it also contributed to his Biomedical Engineering PhD at the University of Strathclyde, which awarded university status to NHS Golden Jubilee last year.

The orthopaedic team at the Golden Jubilee, currently performs around 30% of all hip and knee replacements in Scotland, and this research continues their legacy of leading the way with innovative techniques.