Bioactive Biodegradable Nano-Composite (BBNC) Materials for Regnerative Medicine

我们建议将传统的可吸收聚合物与新型羟基磷灰石和取代磷灰石纳米晶体结合，开发具有生物活性的可生物降解纳米复合材料。可吸收聚合物在体内自然降解。它们可以在骨接触应用中提供临时的机械支持，一旦愈合，就可以被身体无害地移除。它们的机械性能可以通过加入陶瓷成分来增强，陶瓷成分可以被选择为具有生物活性，从而促进新骨的形成。此外，陶瓷成分的存在会影响聚合物被人体吸收的速度，因为它会影响植入物内的水分吸收和局部酸度。这就有可能通过复合材料的设计来裁剪材料的性能和改进材料的性能。这个项目的创新之处在于两个方面。首先，这是第一次将羟基磷灰石和取代磷灰石纳米颗粒与可吸收聚合物结合。其次，这些粒子将以一种高度原创的工艺在纳米尺度上生产和整合。我们期望在纳米而不是微观尺度上加入这些粒子将会带来显著的生物效益。

We propose to develop Bioactive Biodegradable Nano-composites by combining conventional resorbable polymers with novel nano-crystals of hydroxyapatite and substituted apatites. Resorbable polymers are naturally degraded in the body. They can be used to provide a temporary mechanical support in bone contacting applications and are harmlessly removed by the body once healing has taken place. Their mechanical properties can be enhanced by the incorporation of a ceramic component, which can be chosen to be bioactive and hence encourage the formation of new bone. Furthermore, the presence of the ceramic component can affect the rate at which the polymer is by the body as it can affect both water uptake and local acidity within the implant. This leads to the possibility of tailoring the properties and the evolution of properties in the body through composite design. The innovative aspects of this project lie in two areas. Firstly, this is the first time that nanoparticles of hydroxyapatite and substituted apatites have been combined with resorbable polymers. Secondly, the particles will be produced and incorporated at the nano-scale in a highly original process. We expect that incorporating the particles at the nano rather than micro scale will give significant biological benefits.