Tissue engineering is providing a superior treatment for dysfunctional tissues or organs by stimulating the body to regenerate anew the defective part. This preferred treatment, yet to be established for hard tissue (bone and teeth), requires a bioscaffold, which must ideally have: (a) biocompatibility; (b) biodegradability that matches tissue growth; (c) highly interconnected macropores (100?s of microns) to promote ingrowth of cells, vascularization and nutrient delivery; (d) superimposed nanoporosity to guide cell attachment, migration and differentiation; and (e) bioactivity to catalyze the regeneration process. No synthetic product in the market satisfies all these requirements, including bioactive glass (BG) - the only manmade osteo-stimulating material for hard tissue regeneration. This I-Corps team has developed technology for fabricating a new class of bioactive material. The proposed technology provides excellent osteoinductivity and superior degradability compared to competing products, including those based on bioactive glass in the current market. It gives one the ability to tailor the degradation behavior of the scaffolds to specific patient types and nature of the defects without compromising the tissue growth.
This I-Corps team has resolved the above challenges by introducing interconnected nanoporosity superimposed on macroporosity using novel fabrication methods: macroporosity to provide a basic substrate for tissue ingrowth, nanoporosity to enhance cell response and, the ability to tailor the scaffold?s degradation rate. The result is a novel fabrication technology portfolio for producing 'tailored amorphous multi-porous (TAMP)' scaffold that is matched to the needs of specific patient types. In vitro and in vivo tests have already demonstrated the proof-of-principle and potential for improved treatment of dental and orthopedic patients. The TAMP fabrication technology can be readily applied to new BG compositions with additional functionality such as antibacterial and anti-caries properties. When extended to fiber form, these TAMP structures are mechanically flexible. Thus, TAMP material technology is well poised for commercialization.
