Who would have thought that the sharp, spiny shells of sea urchins or discarded snail shells scattered along beaches could become a solution for patients suffering from bone fractures and dental damage? This environmentally friendly innovation, which brings science and environmental sustainability together, was explored in depth at the international International Dental Summer Course (IDSC) 2026, held at the Margono Soeradji Building, L3, Faculty of Dentistry, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), on Tuesday, 14 July 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the second day of the event, the auditorium came alive with an engaging presentation by renowned biomaterials expert and Professor at the Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, UGM, Prof. Dr. Eng. Yusril Yusuf, S.Si., M.Si., M.Eng. Moderated by Dr. Daniel Rino, Prof. Yusril delivered a lecture entitled \u201cWaste Management Strategy for Biomedical Application: Transforming Biogenic Waste into Functional Bioceramics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Medical Paradox: Indonesia Is Rich in Marine<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Resources, Yet Imports Bone Materials\nIn his presentation, Prof. Yusril highlighted an irony in Indonesia's medical sector. As a major maritime nation, Indonesia has an abundance of biogenic waste\u2014including seashells, fish bones, and agricultural waste\u2014that has yet to be managed effectively. At the same time, domestic hospitals spend substantial amounts of money importing synthetic materials for bone grafting and bone repair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are trying to bridge this gap through a recycling strategy, transforming these biological residues into standardized medical materials,\u201d said Prof. Yusril.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Through extensive research in his laboratory, Prof. Yusril's team successfully extracted calcium carbonate from raw waste using physical top-down methods, such as ball milling, as well as chemical bottom-up methods, including wet precipitation, sol-gel, and hydrothermal processes, to produce nanoscale hydroxyapatite bioceramic powder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The natural hydroxyapatite derived from this waste offers an adaptive advantage because its structure resembles that of the mineral found naturally in human bone. Even more remarkably, the innovation has resulted in ready-to-use products, ranging from 3D-printed tissue scaffolds to tooth remineralization gels capable of eliminating white spots caused by demineralization and protecting teeth against acid attacks from bacteria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Remarkable Potential of Sea Urchin Spines<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the products that attracted the most attention from participants was a granular bone graft produced from sea urchin spines. The unique characteristics of sea urchin spines naturally provide magnesium ions, which can stimulate new bone growth (osteogenesis) and blood vessel formation (angiogenesis).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Research has shown that these sea urchin-derived granules have substantially higher defect-filling density and an optimal microporous structure compared with irregular granules currently available on the clinical market. The product also offers an encouraging alternative that could eliminate the need for additional surgery to harvest biological bone grafts from a patient's own body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Towards Market Independence: Commercialization in Five Years<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The presentation continued with an interactive discussion that generated strong enthusiasm among young researchers. Farah Fonia, a student from Universitas Sumatera Utara, and Abel from Universitas Padjadjaran raised critical questions about how different types of snail shells affect the mechanical properties of the resulting materials, as well as the efficiency of using eggshells versus fish bones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the end of the inspiring session, Dr. Daniel Rino posed a final question concerning cost efficiency and when locally produced waste-based products could replace expensive imported gold-standard products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prof. Yusril, who has been conducting biomaterials research since 2016, responded optimistically.\n\u201cFrom starting with zero research to producing the products and completing all laboratory, in vitro, and in vivo testing, it took us approximately 10 years. All of these scientific phases have now been completed with very good results. The next step is to bridge these products into the industrial sector. Our target is for these products to enter the commercial market within the next five years at the latest.\u201d\nHis statement was met with enthusiastic applause from the audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The event concluded with the presentation of an award certificate to Prof. Yusril Yusuf, presented directly by Dr. Raras as a representative of the organizing committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reporter: Nanda, Andri<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Photo: Zoom Meeting Screenshot<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Siapa sangka jika cangkang landak laut yang berduri tajam atau limbah cangkang keong yang berserakan di pantai bisa menjadi penyelamat bagi pasien patah tulang dan kerusakan gigi? Inovasi ramah lingkungan yang mengawinkan sains dan kelestarian alam ini dikupas tuntas dalam ajang internasional International Dental Summer Course (IDSC) 2026 yang berlangsung di Gedung Margono Soeradji L3, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":615,"featured_media":20951,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[359,136,322,328,331,318,316,317,327,321],"tags":[302,303,304,307,289,291,294,297],"class_list":["post-20949","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artikel","category-berita-terbaru","category-sdg-12","category-sdg-13","category-sdg-14","category-sdg-17","category-sdg-3","category-sdg-4","category-sdg-6","category-sdg-9","tag-sdg-12-konsumsi-dan-produksi-yang-bertanggung-jawab","tag-sdg-13-aksi-iklim","tag-sdg-14-kehidupan-di-bawah-air","tag-sdg-17-kemitraan-untuk-mencapai-tujuan","tag-sdg-3-kesehatan-dan-kesejahteraan-yang-baik","tag-sdg-4-pendidikan-berkualitas","tag-sdg-6-air-bersih-dan-sanitasi","tag-sdg-9-industri-inovasi-dan-infrastruktur"],"gutentor_comment":0,"yoast_head":"\n