A team of scientists from Graz University of Technology, Austria, together with colleagues from the Medical University of Graz, Vienna University of Technology, and the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, are developing absorbable implants to promote bone healing that can be broken down by the body.
The “BRIC—BioResorbable Implants for Children” project, funded by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency, was successfully completed at the end of August. Bioresorbable implants are implants that are resorbed by the body over time. In contrast to traditional implants, such as plates, screws or pins, which have to be surgically removed after a certain time, bioresorbable implants do not have to be surgically removed. The BRICs are to be used in children, who suffer particularly from each surgical intervention. In this way, they say that painful multiple operations, especially in children, can be avoided in the future.
The two Graz University of Technology teams managed to develop microbial biopolyesters, so-called polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), which can be processed into implants. The implant is produced by bacteria and can be absorbed by the human body after it has fulfilled its task, they say. Alternative biopolymers, such as polylactic acid, in contrast to PHAs, lead to a hyperacidity of the organism and bring about chronic inflammation.
Another advantage of the new implants is that they are more biocompatible than the previously used steel or titanium materials and thus promote the bone healing process. Furthermore, the speed of their breakdown by the body can be controlled by means of the implant’s precise composition. The breakdown of the implant should take place at the same speed as the bone heals, the researchers stated. The materials are now in the development stage and their material properties and biodegradation rates are currently being tested.
