Boosting the Bone Biology

The public summary consists of 250 to max. 300 words. The summary is intended for a broad audience with a secondary education language level. In short, the public summary describes the who, what, where, when, why and how of the project. Focus on the core message of the project instead of elaborating on explanations and background information.
 

This project focusses on the treatment of large bone defects by using new techniques to improve the outcome. Novel materials from private partners who produce 3D printed implants (Osteopore, Singapore) and bioactive peptides for stimulation of bone growth (Cerapedics, USA) are investigated in clinical and laboratory studies.

Patients who are confronted with bone defects suffer from a dramatic decrease in health-related quality of life (QoL), which is even lower than the QoL reported by patients with colorectal or lung cancer. Treatment success is limited by biological capacity and persistent infection which is present in up to 50 % of cases. These limitations result in multiple complex operations and long-term disability.

Treatment of large defects is multimodal, including cells, bioactive peptides and bone substitute materials. The ideal combination to support bone regeneration, however, is unknown. Moreover, containment of materials in large defects is problematic. The introduction of two novel technologies holds the promise to improve the outcome significantly; a 3D printed cage made of PCL, and a bioactive peptide. In a clinical study and in laboratory studies the effects of these materials on bone healing, bacterial growth and cell behavior will be studied in detail.

This project will describe the effects of these materials on treatment of 20 patients, including the cost-effectiveness. In addition, effects on bacterial growth, infection and cell growth are studied with different combinations of the mentioned materials. Increased knowledge and, if applicable, new cage compositions, will all be deliverables of this project.