Achievement

IGERT researchers are developing a moldable composite bone filler material for the treatment of large infected bony defects. The bone filler is intended to take the place of a more traditional bone graft and improve the efficacy of bone re-growth and infection management. The device will be moldable so that it can conform to any irregularly shaped defect and set in vivo where it will release antibiotics first and then release osteogenic molecules. A focus has been on achieving the temporal separation of the release of antibiotics and the osteogenic molecules so that the infection can be managed before the healing process is stimulated. In order to achieve this, a two layered system was developed, with the outer shell containing antibiotic loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres and the core containing simvastatin embedded within a calcium sulfate (CS) matrix. This research has resulted in a joint publication between Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering