COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: Nanostructured Titania for Orthopedic Biomaterials

当前骨科生物材料研究的一个目标是设计出能够诱导可控和引导组织生长并快速愈合的植入物。为了实现这些目标，需要更好地了解骨-材料界面的事件，以及开发促进骨整合的新材料和方法。教授。Popat和Grimes建议使用控制良好的纳米结构二氧化钛界面来增强种植体骨整合。将可控的纳米级二氧化钛结构整合到现有的种植材料中，可以促进成骨细胞的分化和基质的产生，增强短期和长期的骨整合。此外，创建模拟生理系统的模型纳米结构的能力可以帮助研究复杂的组织相互作用，包括细胞通信、对矩阵几何的反应和外部化学刺激的影响。Grimes教授与Popat教授合作开发的制造路线具有灵活性和成本效益，能够在现有的大块植入材料上实现所需的拓扑结构和化学成分，并具有足够的稳定性和强度。这种对纳米级界面的控制对于广泛的生物材料应用是有利的。由于创造一种新的生物材料技术的现实是基于获得能够承受复杂生理环境的负担得起的、生物相容的和耐用的材料，因此该项目的智力价值在于通过以下方式将纳米技术与生物学结合起来：(a)开发可以很容易地应用于市场上现有技术的技术；(b)了解影响和控制骨-材料界面的因素。这项工作的一个更广泛的影响是培养下一代科学家和工程师，并为本科生和科学/工程领域代表性不足的学生提供面向外联的实验室实习机会，让他们在这个至关重要的跨学科领域工作。

CBET-0827845GrimesA goal of current orthopedic biomaterials research is to design implants that induce controlled and guided growth of tissue, and rapid healing. To achieve these goals a better understanding of events at the bone-material interface is needed, as well as the development of new materials and approaches that promote osseointegration. Profs. Popat and Grimes propose the use of well controlled nanostructured titania interfaces to enhance implant osseointegration. The integration of controlled nanoscale titania architectures into existing implant materials can promote osteoblast differentiation and matrix production, and enhance short- and long-term osseointegration. Moreover, the ability to create model nanodimensional constructs that mimic physiological systems can aid in studying complex tissue interactions in terms of cell communication, response to matrix geometry, and effect of external chemical stimuli. The fabrication routes developed by the group of Prof. Grimes in collaboration with Prof. Popat are flexible and cost-effective, enabling realization of desired topologies and chemistries on existing bulk implant materials with sufficient stability and strength. Such control over the nanoscale interface can prove advantageous for a broad range of biomaterial applications. Since the reality of creating a new biomaterial technology is predicated upon achieving affordable, biocompatible and durable materials that are able to withstand complex physiological environments, the intellectual merit of this project is to integrate nanotechnology with biology by: (a) Developing technologies that can be easily adopted to exiting technologies in market; and (b) Understanding what influences and controls bone-material interfaces. A further Broader Impact of the work is the training of next generation of scientists and engineers, and providing outreach-oriented laboratory internships for undergraduates and underrepresented students in science/engineering to work in this vitally important interdisciplinary field.