Scientists from Sirius University, Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU), and Sechenov University have presented an innovative method for coating medical implants, significantly improving their integration with bone tissue. The development reduces the implant processing time from several hours or even days to just 3 minutes, opening new perspectives for personalized medicine.
The method is based on treating porous polymer implants (made of polyetherketoneketone – PEKK) with a special mixture of solvents that makes the surface "sticky". This allows particles of hydroxyapatite—a mineral component found in bone tissue—to adhere to it.
Our method is based on treating a porous polymer implant with a mixture of solvents that partially dissolves the polymer surface, making it "sticky", so to speak. Thanks to this, in a one-step process, we were able to fix hydroxyapatite particles on the surface of porous implants, preserving the size and shape of the product, which is especially important. In our publication, we showed that bone marrow stem cells attach better to modified implants and differentiate in an osteogenic direction, which may indicate that such an implant will better fuse with the patient's bone.
Key advantages of the technology:
- Speed—coating is formed in 3 minutes versus several hours or days for analogues.
- Accessibility—the method can be applied in standard laboratories without complex equipment.
- Biocompatibility—hydroxyapatite accelerates implant engraftment.
- Personalization—the technology is compatible with 3D printing of individual implants.
We manufactured implant samples using 3D printing, and they had a porous structure, which, again, improves integration with bone. Hence, one of the tasks of our work was to preserve the size of the pores and the implant itself. Ultimately, our method is applicable to personalized implants created to replace a bone defect in a specific patient.
The development is particularly relevant for maxillofacial surgery and orthopedics, where rapid and reliable fusion of implants with bone is required. The research is supported by the Russian Science Foundation, and its results are published in the journal Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces (impact factor 5.4).
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