I-Corps: Biomimetic Degradable Load Bearing Osteoconductive Bone Graft

通过该项目开发的技术产生的骨植入物可以保持其形状，并提供机械稳定性，使骨在植入物周围形成。之后，种植体随时间降解，为新骨形成提供空间。这将皮质骨的微观结构与聚酯纳米纤维的可降解性相结合，以解决支架吸收、强度和均匀营养供应的问题。为了解决抗压强度和再吸收问题，该团队将设计磷酸钙（CaP）沉积聚酯纳米纤维片，使其具有高CaP含量。为了解决均匀营养供应的问题，该团队将设计一套具有相互连接的管道的大孔层压微管。将祖细胞植入支架后，形成血管化前可吸收和坚硬的移植物，用于骨缺损植入。与金属植入物不可吸收和屏蔽应力或陶瓷和塑料植入物易碎和可变形不同，本发明的产品模拟了天然皮质骨的结构，具有机械稳定性、降解性和均匀的营养供应。竞争优势包括可调节的吸收、可调节的机械强度的负荷、支持新骨形成的骨传导、相互连接的微管结构以均匀的营养运输，以及与生长因子和干细胞兼容。该技术的应用可以迁移到整形外科以外的领域，如用于药物输送和靶向的制药，用于生成复杂结构和人体组织3D模型的生物打印，以及工程多功能生物传感器。

The technology developed through this project generates a bone implant that maintains its shape and provides mechanical stability to allow bone to form around the implant. Afterward, the implant degrades with time to provide volume for new bone formation. This combines the microstructure of cortical bone with degradability of polyester nanofibers to address the issues of scaffold resorption, strength and uniform nutrient supply. To address the issues of compressive strength and resorption, the team will engineer calcium phosphate (CaP) deposited polyester nanofiber sheets with high CaP content. To address the issue of uniform nutrient supply, the team will engineer a bonded set of macroporous laminated microtubes with interconnected canals. Upon seeding the scaffold with progenitor cells, a pre-vascularized resorbable and stiff graft is formed for implantation in a bone defect.Unlike metallic implants that are non-resorbable and shield stress or ceramic and plastic implants that are brittle and deformable, the product of this invention mimics the structure of natural cortical bone for mechanical stability, degradation, and uniform nutrient supply. Competitive advantages include tunable resorption, load bearing with tunable mechanical strength, osteoconductive to support new bone formation, interconnected microtubular structure for uniform nutrient transport, and compatible with growth factors and stem cells. Application o fthis technology can migrate to areas other than orthopedics, like in pharmaceutics for drug delivery and targeting, in bioprinting for generation of complex structures and 3D models of human tissues, and engineering multifunctional biosensors.