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A novel biomimetic polymer scaffold design enhances bone ingrowth
Author(s) -
Geffre Chris P.,
Margolis David S.,
Ruth John T.,
DeYoung Donald W.,
Tellis Brandi C.,
Szivek John A.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of biomedical materials research part a
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.849
H-Index - 150
eISSN - 1552-4965
pISSN - 1549-3296
DOI - 10.1002/jbm.a.32251
Subject(s) - materials science , scaffold , biomedical engineering , tissue engineering , bone tissue , bone growth , polymer , composite material , medicine
There has been recent interest in treating large bone defects with polymer scaffolds because current modalities such as autographs and allographs have limitations. Additionally, polymer scaffolds are utilized in tissue engineering applications to implant and anchor tissues in place, promoting integration with surrounding native tissue. In both applications, rapid and increased bone growth is crucial to the success of the implant. Recent studies have shown that mimicking native bone tissue morphology leads to increased osteoblastic phenotype and more rapid mineralization. The purpose of this study was to compare bone ingrowth into polymer scaffolds created with a biomimetic porous architecture to those with a simple porous design. The biomimetic architecture was designed from the inverse structure of native trabecular bone and manufactured using solid free form fabrication. Histology and μCT analysis demonstrated a 500–600% increase in bone growth into and adjacent to the biomimetic scaffold at five months post‐op. This is in agreement with previous studies in which biomimetic approaches accelerated bone formation. It also supports the applicability of polymer scaffolds for the treatment of large tissue defects when implanting tissue‐engineering constructs. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res, 2009