Objective
Bioresorbable implants are developed for trauma treatment, facial reconstruction and bone defect reconstruction. Historically, most of these devices were made of metal, often requiring a second operation to remove the implant. With resorbable materials this is no longer required and the challenge becomes to tune the resorption rate such that the body can replace the resorbed material with new tissue. The resorption rate can be controlled to some extend by material and geometrical parameters. However, in reality the resorption rate shows a large variation in patients, as there are large differences in the rate of tissue repair amongst patients. For example, in some patients a fractured bone may repair in weeks; in others it may take months.
This illustrates the need for devices of which the resorption rate is not device-related, but can be tuned to the patient's needs. The objective of the current project is to develop devices that can be implanted and which become resorbable only after external stimulation. Hence, this approach is radically different from current practice. The objectives will be achieved by developing technology that enables isolation of the implanted resorbable material (e.g. a bone plate) from the body fluids. When the implant is not required anymore the physician can activate the resorption process of the implant by dissolving the isolation layer using an externally emitted source (e.g. ultrasound or magnetic field stimulation).
Devices that will be developed are specific activation transmitters and resorbable devices that can be activated externally thereby starting the resorption. In the first phase, different technologies are brought together to develop this innovative approach. Subsequently, the technology will be applied to existing products and evaluated using in vitro and animal studies. In the prototyping phase the technology is applied to new products, which are pre-clinically tested using cadaver experiments and large animal models.
Fields of science
Call for proposal
FP6-2004-NMP-SME-4
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
IP - Integrated ProjectCoordinator
PO Box 9101 NIJMEGEN
Netherlands