GOALI/Collaborative Research: Design and Manufacturing of Bioactive Surgical Fixation Devices Using Injection Molding of Gradient Cellular Structures

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The research objective of this Grant Opportunity for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) Collaborative Research project is to investigate novel surgical fixation devices (screw, anchor, plate, pin, staple, etc.) that not only secure a graft in place, but incorporate bioactive materials such as growth factors, drugs, and cells, intended to promote bone tissue growth. The new devices can eliminate painful secondary operations, adverse effects of permanent implants, and the lack of bioactive features in existing surgical fixation devices. The research addresses challenges in biocompatible, biodegradable and bioactive materials for surgical fixation devices and investigates a new delivery method for bio-reagents through the surgical devices. The approach will be: 1. Identify suitable structural and bioactive materials for a strong fixation device body and efficient bone-tissue healing and growth. 2. Design a new bioactive interference screw, as a specific example and application with required mechanical integrity and bioactivity. 3. Explore a new technique, gradient cellular structure (GCS), to create interconnective porous structure to control screw mechanical strength and assist in bioactive materials delivery. 4. Through testing to find, control, optimize and integrate all required functionalities such as mechanical integrity, material degradation rate, and bioactive reagents delivery rate.If successful, the benefits and broader impacts of this research will be: to replace current passive orthopedic surgery devices with active devices, i.e. the surgical devices not only serve fixation and support purposes but also have curing, healing and tissue-promoting biological functions; a long term research and educational relationship with Arthrex, Inc. will be built for the new technology development and transfer; three doctoral students and two senior design teams will be trained; three project-based learning modules will be created to strengthen the undergraduate mechanical and biomedical engineering curricula, engaging students with design projects in bioactive fixation devices and bio-reagents delivery. New findings from the research will be disseminated in professional journals and at conferences. The project will also be used in specially designed outreach workshops for local high school and community college students, including many underrepresented minority students to showcase high-tech mechanical and polymer engineering applications in biotechnology.