PLGA from PolySciTech used in development of bone-tissue scaffold to treat critical-size defect wounds

The ‘critical defect’ refers to a size (e.g. diameter of hole) of missing bone tissue beyond which the bone will not regrow. In situations of traumatic injury, damaging bone beyond this size can make healing impossible unless tissue engineering is applied. Recently, researchers at University of Pittsburgh and Southwest Jiaotong University (China) used PLGA (PolyVivo AP020) from PolySciTech (www.polyscitech.com) to create PLGA-Mg scaffolds for bone-tissue repair. This research holds promise for treating traumatic wounds. Read more: Chen, Yingqi, Sang‐Ho Ye, Hideyoshi Sato, Yang Zhu, Vesselin Shanov, Tarannum Tiasha, Antonio D’Amore, Samuel Luketich, Guojiang Wan, and William R. Wagner. "Hybrid scaffolds of Mg alloy mesh reinforced polymer/extracellular matrix composite for critical‐sized calvarial defect reconstruction." Journal of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine (2018). https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/term.2668

“Abstract: The challenge of developing scaffolds to reconstruct critical‐sized calvarial defects without the addition of high levels of exogenous growth factor remains relevant. Both osteogenic regenerative efficacy as well as suitable mechanical properties for the temporary scaffold system are of importance. In this study, a Mg alloy mesh reinforced polymer/demineralized bone matrix (DBM) hybrid scaffold was designed where the hybrid scaffold was fabricated by a concurrent electrospinning/electrospraying of poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic) (PLGA) polymer and DBM suspended in hyaluronic acid (HA). The Mg alloy mesh significantly increased the flexural strength and modulus of PLGA/DBM hybrid scaffold. In vitro results demonstrated that the Mg alloy mesh reinforced PLGA/DBM hybrid scaffold (Mg‐PLGA@HA&DBM) exhibited a stronger ability to promote the proliferation of bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) and induce BMSC osteogenic differentiation compared to control scaffolding materials lacking critical components. In vivo osteogenesis studies were performed in a rat critical‐sized calvarial defect model and incorporated a variety of histological stains and immunohistochemical staining of osteocalcin. At 12 weeks, the rat model data showed that the degree of bone repair for the Mg‐PLGA@HA&DBM scaffold was significantly greater than for those scaffolds lacking one or more of the principal components. While complete defect filling was not achieved, the improved mechanical properties, promotion of BMSC proliferation and induction of BMSC osteogenic differentiation, and improved promotion of bone repair in the rat critical‐sized calvarial defect model make Mg alloy mesh reinforced PLGA/DBM hybrid scaffold an attractive option for the repair of critical‐sized bone defects where the addition of exogenous isolated growth factors is not employed.”

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