Biodegradable Implant with Integrated Barrier Membrane
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bone grafts and osteoconductive scaffolds face challenges such as contamination, slow degradation, high costs, and cumbersome surgical procedures for guided bone regeneration, particularly in dental treatments, where they struggle to prevent soft tissue and epithelial cell ingrowth into bone defect sites.
Innovation Solution
A biocompatible and biodegradable implant with controllable open interconnected macro porosity, composed of synthetic granules bound by a solid or porous organic polymer matrix, integrated with a membrane providing a zone of impermeability to soft tissue and epithelial cells, eliminating the need for separate barrier membranes and simplifying surgical procedures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a separate barrier membrane is surgically placed over the implant to exclude competitive cells, then soft tissue and epithelial cell in-growth is prevented, but the surgical procedure becomes time-consuming, cumbersome and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the barrier membrane and the osteogenic bone graft into a single integrated unit. The membrane is directly applied to the surface of the bone graft, eliminating the need for separate surgical placement of the membrane. This integration maintains the reliability of soft tissue exclusion while significantly simplifying the surgical procedure, reducing operation time and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The barrier membrane is pre-applied to the bone graft surface before implantation into the patient's body. This preliminary action ensures that the protective barrier is already in place when the graft is inserted, eliminating the need for subsequent membrane placement surgery and reducing the overall surgical complexity.
2Reliability
If bone particles are obtained from natural bone through purification and demineralization procedures, then organic and genetic impurities are removed, but the production process becomes time-consuming and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses synthetic bone particles that can be produced through simpler, more cost-effective processes compared to natural bone processing. These synthetic particles achieve the necessary purity and osteogenic properties without requiring complex purification and demineralization procedures, thereby reducing manufacturing time and cost while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials consisting of synthetic bone particles combined with a binding agent to create the osteogenic graft. This composite approach allows for controlled purity and desired properties to be achieved through more straightforward manufacturing processes, eliminating the need for extensive purification steps required for natural bone materials.
3Reliability
If the implant is made with open interconnected macro porosity to allow bone tissue in-growth, then bone regeneration is facilitated, but soft tissue and epithelial cells may still compete for the space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the barrier membrane specifically to the surface of the bone graft where soft tissue contact occurs, while maintaining open interconnected macro porosity throughout the interior structure. This local differentiation allows the surface to exclude competitive cells while the interior remains accessible for bone tissue in-growth and regeneration, resolving the contradiction between porosity and soft tissue exclusion.
Data Source
AI summary
There is described a biocompatible implant for the filling of a cavity in a living organism such as, for example, a bone defect or an extraction wound, comprising an open porous scaffold and/or a composite matrix comprising a plurality of inorganic or synthetic granules and a synthetic polymer matrix, and further comprising a biodegradable membrane which is interconnectibly sealed to a surface portion of the scaffold or composite matrix such, that the scaffold or composite matrix and the membrane form a single piece of matter. In one embodiment, the implant is biodegradable.