Bone
implant research leaps forward
Washington State University is now the first academic institution
in the U.S. to use Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS) technology
to develop porous metals and metal-ceramic bone implants for load-bearing
applications.
The newly acquired LENS machine adds to the cutting-edge technology
available in the new Biomedical Materials Research Laboratory, which
houses the University’s interdisciplinary effort to develop
new materials and structures for bone implants. A team of Washington
State University scientists established the new laboratory with
the help of a $750,000 grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation.
The new lab’s primary researchers—Amit Bandyopadhyay
and Susmita Bose, of the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering,
and Howard Hosick, of the School of Biological Sciences—used
the Keck Foundation grant to purchase the LENS machine. The new
technology will allow them to expand their work on developing biomaterials
for use as bone implants.
The work has great potential. Although implants (such as hip replacements)
have been in use for about 50 years, researchers have so far been
unable to increase their durability. The average implant lasts only
about a decade—a big problem for many people who suffer joint
and bone injuries from sports and other activities. At the same
time, the U.S. population is aging, so a greater number of people
can expect to experience age-related degenerative bone problems
that will require the use of implants.
The limited lifespan of bone implants and joint replacements relates
directly to the materials they are made from. Current treatments
usually call for titanium screws and plates—materials originally
designed for use in the automotive or aerospace industry. Because
they are denser and stronger than bone, these implants eventually
weaken the surrounding bone, causing the bond between bone and implant
to fail.
Using LENS technology may allow the researchers to replace the
solid, heavy bone implants that are currently used with lighter
ones. With the new technology, researchers can basically “print
out” a perfectly formed, three-dimensional bone implant from
a computer file using metals such as titanium. LENS not only replicates
the shape of a bone, it also creates a porous structure similar
to that of natural bone.
In the new laboratory, the research team will also continue their
work on ceramic materials that are compatible with the body. Bose
and Bandyopadhyay are working on nanoscale-engineered porous ceramics
that are based on calcium phosphate and mimic many of the properties
of real bone. Hosick’s work as a molecular biologist helps
the team better understand how bone regenerates and interacts with
implant materials at the cellular level, so they can tailor their
materials to work with the body in specific ways to maximize implant
success. The ceramic implants would be able to dissolve into the
body as bone grows to replace the ceramic scaffold.
With the establishment of the new Biomedical Materials Research
Laboratory, which is part of the University’s interdisciplinary
Bioengineering Research Center, the group also hopes to be able
to involve more graduate students in their work. |
