There is great need for more effective bone grafts in craniomaxillofacial (CMF) applications. Bone grafting is critical to treat CMF complications associated to trauma, tumour removal, or congenital disorders. However, the use of traditional autogenous or allogenic grafts possesses a number of problems. Three-dimensional (3D) printing represents an attractive alternative to develop patient specific implants for CMF applications but the materials used lack the desirable combination of printability, intrinsic bioactivity, and tuneable mechanical properties necessary to stimulate fast bone ingrowth and implant integration. This ERC PoC proposal aimed to establish a new coating for bespoke CMF implants that can controllably grow trigger organized hydroxyapatite mineralization to significantly enhance bone regeneration and tissue-implant integration.
In the project, we have successfully developed the implant coating on top of 3D printed Nylon implants and characterized their properties and effectiveness using both in vitro and in vivo models. The results demonstrated that the coated implants were able to grow organized mineralized layers on top of all surfaces and that these were able to promote cell adhesion and proliferation in vitro. The project also enabled modulation of the coating to grow mineralizing layers with different organization, which was used to modulate different cell responses. Using a rabbit calvarial model, the implants were assessed for implant integration into the bone tissue and new bone formation. The project can have for the design of functional dental and orthopaedic implants that can self-mineralize and enhance integration into the surrounding tissue.
