BioMEMs, led by researchers from University of Aveiro (Portugal), is one of the supported research teams in the first S3E Start Programme.
An ageing population increases the incidence of orthopaedic injuries, affecting quality of life. Small bone lesions can often self-heal, but critical-sized defects require orthopaedic implants. Metallic materials like stainless steel and titanium alloys are the most used. These materials present great mechanical properties, load-bearing capabilities, and fatigue resistance, but lack in biological compatibility and suffer from corrosion and diminished cell adhesion.
When compared to titanium, 316L SS implants show inferior biological properties, but still present a big share of the market thanks to its lower cost. BioMEMs aims to solve the problem related to 316L SS, by depositing a bioactive PLLA based coating to establish a strong connection between bone tissue and the metallic implants. Their approach is inspired by the piezoelectric nature of bone and their research into PLLA bioactivity.
PLLA has been gaining attention due to its attractive properties such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, and piezoelectricity. Piezoelectricity plays an important role in the processes of regeneration and vascularization of the bone. BioMEMs have a bioactivated prosthesis that were characterised in vitro, assessing their cytocompatibility and osteogenic properties, and in vivo, by subcutaneous implantation in a rat animal model. Thus, their team expects that our technology can contribute to the development of the next generation bone implants that can simultaneously boost recovery speed and reduce rejection rate.
Learn more about BioMEMs by watching the pitch done by researcher Maxim Ivanov during the Start Open Day on 20th July 2023.
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