Fabrication and Characterization of a Novel Bioactive Poly(ether-ether-ketone) Scaffold for Bone Tissue Engineering (Poster)

It is widely accepted that the initial interactions between the cells and implant surface are crucial to clinical success. One of the promising alternative materials for tissue engineering is polyetheretherketone (PEEK) which has good chemical resistance and mechanical properties similar to those of human bones [1]. However, its hydrophobic and chemically inert surface limits local bone attachment [2]. Consequently, there have been efforts to enhance PEEK bone-implant integration by incorporating molecules (such as HA) or making it porous [3]. Regarding to the latest, this study aims to demonstrate a process that can greatly enhance the density and interconnectivity of a PEEK porous product (US2012323339) [4]. Moreover, a novel surface modification through wet-chemistry protocol has been developed for RGD and OGP (osteogenic growth peptide) grafting onto porous PEEK scaffolds (US2013172273) [5]. As a result, the production of porous structures manufactured by thermally induced phase separation technique (TIPS), in combination with particulate leaching method, offers the greatest potential to control pore size and porosity whilst achieving porosity higher than 80%. Besides, surface functionalization of porous PEEK scaffolds with RGD/OGP combination is shown to enhance osteoblast adhesion, proliferation and differentiation, according to the in vitro results. In conclusion, we have developed a convenient “click” chemistry procedure to modify PEEK surfaces with RGD and OGP10-14 molecules, while keeping the bulk properties of PEEK as well as its biocompatibility in terms of cytotoxicity. The improvement of the osteogenic activity of this novel material shows that can be appropriated for bone tissue engineering applications.