This Career award by the Biomaterials program in the Division of Materials Research to the Catholic University of America is to study and understand the fundamental structure and biology of bone and crab shells. Synthesis of bone inspired bioceramic implants that function on the level of natural bone using hydroxyapatite and crab shell integument, and to develop indices to evaluate the performance of inspired bioceramic implants in direct comparison with bone are objectives of this award. The treatment of bone disorders is a very important component of medical technology. The large number of disorders that involve bone tissue (such as fractures, arthritis, osteoporosis, and cancer) requires a wide variety of treatment protocols and specially tailored implants to address these problems and re-establish bone health. This work will be conducted in the Biomimetics, Orthopedics, and Nanomaterials Exploration/Composite Research for Advanced Biomaterials Laboratory at the Catholic University of America.
The overall goal of this research and education program is to develop bone inspired bioceramic implants and methodologies to enhance the healing and remodeling of bone at the tissue, cell, and subcellular level. The research and education activities that flow from the BONE/CRAB Laboratory will focus on using bone inspiration to enhance course development, directed research, and mentoring and outreach. The education component contains aspects to inspire Graduate, Undergraduate, and K- 12 students with an emphasis on under-represented minorities in the DC/Baltimore Metropolitan area. Develop bone inspired activities to collaborate with the Discovery Center for Molecular and Cellular Biology at Catholic University of America for K-12 educational outreach.
" Project focused on developing materials and methods to address challenges in bone heath and healing. Intellectual Merit: My approach focused on studying the fundamental aspects of how bone develops, grows and heals and evaluating crushed crab shell as a material to stimulate bone formation. While crab shell is usually thought of as a waste product, it contains a number of bioactive compounds including chitin, calcium carbonates, and various proteins which can play a role in bone healing and remodeling. I had the privilege of working with over 50 talented Graduate, Undergraduate, and K-12 students on various aspects of this project. One of our most interesting discoveries was that we observed the formation of single crystal hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (nanoHAp, less than 5 nm in size) in the healing zone when crushed crab shell was implanted underneath the skin of Sprague-Dawley Rats. We also obtained evidence from electron diffraction studies that these nanoHAp particles behave like nanoscale "Lego" building blocks and self-assemble to construct larger hydroxyapatite crystals. Broader Impacts: A unique aspect of my project involved using bone as a source of inspiration to help improve STEM education in MD and DC. Over the course of the project, we interacted with over 500 K-12 students through the Adopt a Professor Program for Learning Enhancement (APPLE). We also developed the groundwork for a series of children’s stories about WishBone Willie who is an animated wishbone who takes young children on adventures to learn about Health and STEM.
