Nanofiber-permeated, hybrid polymer/ceramic scaffolds for guided cell behavior

Abstract

AbstractThe current gold-standard therapeutic strategies for bone grafts in the patient population are to use either allograft or autograft bone. Although these approaches have a long track record of utilization, neither is without risk to the patient, and there remains a desire in the field to improve treatment options. While there have been treatments approved by the FDA for full length growth factors and calcium salt-laden collagen sponges, these are not available for the entire population of potential bone graft patients. One viable strategy to focus on these concerns is to design an implantable bone graft substitute that can address all the negative drawbacks of autograft bone, allograft bone, and full length proteins. The work provides a preliminary investigation of synthetic, nanofiber-permeated, composite polymer/ceramic scaffold for bone repair using thermally induced phase separation, PLLA microspheres, and hydroxyapatite. The scaffolds as described have fiber diameters that mimic natural collagen ECM networks in bone as determined by scanning electron microscopy and will serve as the basis for future studies in substrate-guided bone tissue regeneration.