Professor Tom Webster, in conjunction with Spire Biomedical of Boston, was recently awarded an NIH special Nanobiotechnology grant entitled "Nanophase Hydroxyapatite as an Orthopedic Implant Coating."

The health relatedness of the project stems from current requirements for increased ability of biomaterials to bond to juxtaposed bone (i.e., osseointegration). Such osseointegration provides mechanical stability to the implant in situ, minimizes motion-induced damage to surrounding tissues, and is imperative for the clinical success of bone implants. Current materials used for implantation often fail to sufficiently integrate into surrounding bone. New coating materials are necessary to selectively increase bone formation while limiting functions of competitive cells that lead to soft tissue formation.

The research study will investigate specific nanophase ceramic materials as the "next-generation" of a more effective orthopedic implant coating. Nanophase ceramics are intriguing new material formulations since they possess grain sizes less than 100 nm in diameter and therefore simulate the grain size and topography of bone. Moreover, the present study will utilize nanophase formulations of an existing ceramic material (hydroxyapatite) doped with an element (yttrium) that has a high affinity for calcium. The npHA:Y material, therefore, may increase initial absorption of calcium from serum leading to select protein adsorption that will enhance bone cell function. The present proposal will investigate a new coating technique coupled with this novel coating material to design a practical formulation that could increase orthopedic implant efficacy.

This grant was awarded as part of the National Nanotechnology Initiative of the National Institute of Health.