Intelligent implant to regenerate bone.

-A new public-private consortium will develop new implants with better integration and regeneration of bone tissue properties

-the PHYTECH project, the INNPACTO call, will feature close to 700,000 euros funding

-researchers will work with the research of the platform of Biomedicine of the CIBER-BBN services

Madrid, February 2013.- facilitate the osseointegration and be biocompatible are two qualities that are pursued in the design and development of new materials for implants, in order to improve the integration with the patient’s body, and to avoid its possible rejection. An example of this is the work that are currently developing a team of researchers in the project PHYTECH, whose main objective is the development of new innovative able to repair and regenerate bone tissue implants.

The new project, public-private collaboration, is funded by the INNPACTO programme, the Ministry of economy and competitiveness, and will take place in the next two years. He has a total budget of 671.036 euros and the participation of two Spanish biotechnology companies (Laboratoris SANIFIT SL and Numat Biomedical SL), the Universitat de les Illes Balears (UIB) and the Center for biomedical research in network of bio-engineering, biomaterials and nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), belonging to the Carlos III Health Institute.

According to point Dr. Joana Maria Ramis, principal investigator on the project and Numat Biomedical r & d Director, is developing biomaterials coatings using bioactive surfaces in titanium, implants to improve the osseointegration and reduce the recovery time of the patient ”.

Materials are commonly used, for the repair of bone, such as titanium, very suitable for its biocompatibility and mechanical properties. Although these implants do not contribute to the growth of new bone, nor have the ability to bind specifically bone cells through activation of its surface. As explained by Dr. Marta Monjo, research manager at the UIB, to be coated with a new bioactive material titanium biocompatibility could substantially improve of the implant and its osseointegration ”.

biofilm of S. epidermidis on Titanium with electron microscopy. The formation of these bacterial structures comes to cause the failure of an implant, by researching on the development of coatings that in addition to promoting the osseointegration of the material, hinder the formation of biocapas.

Along with improving the biocompatibility of materials, this draft addresses, also the response to infections of these new developments. Dr. Mª Luisa González, CIBER-BBN, says that infections appear to be colonized the surface of the material by bacteria from other sources from the patient or from outside, and arriving in form on this surface structures that reach thicknesses of dozens of layers of micro-organisms, called biocapas, as shown in the figure, which corresponds to an image taken by electron microscopy of a biofilm of Staphylococcus epidermidis on titanium. Within these architectures, bacteria are very resilient, both defenses of the patient’s immune system and antibiotics, to the point of having to be replaced the implant as the only solution to the problem. The group coordinated by Dr. Mª Luisa González is working on the relationships that exist between the characteristics of the material and its response to the adhesion and colonization by organisms, in order to prevent and avoid as far as possible the development of of biocapas.

The researchers of this project will count with the services of the platform of the CIBER-BBN, a research infrastructure that aspires to be regarding national. The platform offers technological resources of first level for the Center’s research groups, as well as external groups or companies.

Participants in the project

Numat Biomedical, Coordinator of the project, has extensive experience in the development of advanced biomaterials that enhance the bone regeneration, as prostheses, implants dental, surgical material or for tissue engineering. Next to Sanifit, they will collaborate in the definition of protocols and specifications of prototypes, as well as handle optimizing surfaces and coordination of studies of efficacy and safety in vivo. Sanifit will be responsible for the manufacture and quality control of the active principle in the optimization and sterilization of modified titanium surfaces.

The Group of cell therapy research and engineering tissue (TERCIT) of the Institute of research in Sciences of the health (IUNICS) of the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), coordinated by Dr. Marta Monjo, will perform in vitro experiments and analysis of samples obtained from in vivo animal experiments.

The unit’s characterization of surfaces and Calorimetry of the CIBER-BBN, coordinated by Dr. M. Luisa González, senior researcher of the research group on microbial Adhesion of the University of Extremadura – AM-UEX, will conduct trials of surface composition techniques of characterization of surfaces (XPS and ToF-SIMs) and analysis of the microbial response of surfaces that arise in this development.

Fostering public-private cooperation

Among the objectives of the CIBER-BBN is favoring knowledge generation transferable to society and, in particular, to the productive sector. To do this, the Consortium promotes public-private cooperation and encourages companies to participate in small joint projects which require the use of these research services, providing funding of € 3000 for this.

Also from the CIBER-BBN will be organized, the month of may, a forum with companies within the field of bone therapy, where research groups will meet with industry to explore possible collaborations.