Jincui Li

Master student

Incorporation of hydroxyapatite and bioactive glass particles for improved hydrogel based scaffolds in bone regneration

 

Supervisors: Vera Bednarzig, Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini

Bone defects that exceed a critical size need to be treated by clinical intervention since the natural bone cannot heal completely on its own [1]. As a “gold standard”, autografts (but also allografts) can be used. Based on their limitations in availability and also infection rate, tissue engineering (TE) can be used to circumvent these problems. One common TE approach involves the use of scaffolds. One common method to generate scaffolds is 3D printing, where different structures can be created using a variety of biomaterials. The use of composite materials including combination of hydrogels and inorganic particles (e.g. bioactive glasses) is a promising possibility for developing bioactive and biodegradable bone tissue scaffolds [2,3]. The aim of this thesis is the incorporation inorganic fillers (hydroxyapatite or bioactive glass) to an alginate based system and the comparison of the fillers regarding their mechanical performance and biological effects.

[1] Shruthy Kuttappan et.al., Biomimetic composite scaffolds containing bioceramics and collagen/gelatin for bone tissue engineering – A mini review, International Journal of Biological Macromolecules (2016) 93: 1390–1401.

[2] S. Utech et. al., A review of hydrogel-based composites for biomedical applications: enhancement of hydrogel properties by addition of rigid inorganic fillers, J Mater Sci (2016) 51:271–310.

[3] A. Hoppe et. al., A review of the biological response to ionic dissolution products from bioactive glasses and glass-ceramics, Biomaterials (2011) 32:2757-2774