This Sponge-Like Polymer Could Fix Facial Deformities
14th August 2014
Grunlan says surgeons would heat a chunk of the polymer in salt water until it becomes pliable, then mold it into the exact shape of the missing bone section. Once in place, the polymer would cool and stiffen. “After the foam is in place, bone cells come in and replace the foam, which is absorbed into the body and naturally excreted,” said Grunlan.
In lab experiments, she and her colleagues coated the PCL with another biodegradable polymer, called polydopamine, that is known to stimulate bone growth. They seeded the polymers with human bone cells, and after a few days saw that the cells were not only multiplying, but producing important bone-forming proteins.