Description:
The present invention provides a method, based on sol-gel processing and
polymerization-induced phase separation, for preparing a silica-based bioactive
scaffold, in which the pore structure, consisting of interconnected pores of
both hundreds of micrometers, and several to tens of nanometers in size, is
optimized for enhanced bone regeneration performance. (See figures below) The
sol-gel process is a low-cost and versatile method for preparing scaffolds and
the phase separation which is induced to occur in the proposed technique results
in an interconnected, coral-like, morphology, which leads to structurally
stronger materials than the ones achieved by other methods.
This technology involves the harvesting and culture of stem cells from the
patient on the scaffold in vitro, thereby creating a tissue/scaffold
bio-composite which is then implanted in the damaged site, with tissue
regeneration occurring at the rate at which the scaffold reabsorbs.
Additionally,
- The macropores in excess of 100 mm are required for bone cell in-growth
and proliferation and vascularisation Regeneration of diseased or damaged tissue to its original state
or function
- The low-cost and versatile sol-gel process allows the control of
composition (e.g. Ca/P molar ratio), texture (pore size and shape),
homogeneous oxide materials, and scaffold shape control
STATUS OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
A patent cooperation treaty (PCT) application, Canadian national phase patent
application, European national phase patent application, and US national phase
patent application have all been filed.
Himanshu Jain's Lehigh PageMarketing Abstract