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Nanoparticle-core polymer may show potential for use in minimally invasive tissue scaffolds
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Several limitations associated with traditional grafting materials may be overcome by using a high-performance shape memory polymer based on rigid nanoparticle cores and developed by researchers at University of Massachusetts Medical School.
Research published at the online home of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America describes the development of a class of heat-activated smart materials that combine tissue-like properties and strength that are clinically safe to deploy and able to integrate with surrounding tissue.
Jie Song, PhD, assistant professor of orthopedics and physical rehabilitation and cell biology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and postdoctoral fellow Jianwen Xu, used a nanoparticle core to create this new type of bone and tissue scaffolding polymer.
“Paradigm-changing impact”
“Strong and resorbable smart implants could have paradigm-changing impact on a number of surgical interventions that currently rely on the use of more invasive and less effective metallic cages, fixators and stents,” Song stated in a press release. “From spinal fusion to alleviate chronic lower back pain, vertebroplasty for treating vertebral fractures to angioplasty for widening narrowed or obstructed blood vessels, there are tremendous clinical applications for smart polymers.”
The polymer’s heat-activated malleability and shape memory could make it possible for physicians to create a mold of the scaffolding needed to stabilize a skeletal injury preoperatively based on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans, according to the release,
Safe heat activation
The smart polymer is heat activated at 50°C, enabling compression for insertion into the body through a minimally invasive incision. The polymer could then be thermally reactivated, thereby reverting to its pre-molded shape in seconds, according to the release. The polymer can be reabsorbed by the body as it breaks down over time, eliminating the need for a second surgery for implant removal. As the scaffolding degrades, the porous structure of the polymer promotes tissue growth and integration.
Animal tests are being performed to assess the safety and efficacy of the material, which Song and colleagues hope will pave the way for future clinical trials.
- Reference:
Xu J, Song J. High performance shape memory polymer networks based on rigid nanoparticle cores. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. E-pub ahead of print.
