Coated Ceramic Particles for Bone Implants With Surface Markers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bone implants with mineral coatings lack distinguishable surface markers, which hinders their identification and utilization of enhanced surface area, hydration characteristics, and mechanical flexibility, thereby affecting their biological integration and effectiveness in bone repair.
Innovation Solution
The development of bone implants with ceramic particles coated by a mineral coating, featuring macro and nano-sized surface markers such as recesses and projections, which increase surface area, hydration, and mechanical properties, allowing for improved biological integration and identification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If mineral coating is applied to ceramic particles, then bioactivity and bone stimulation are improved, but distinguishability from uncoated particles deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color changes by incorporating radiopaque markers that create visible contrast differences between coated and uncoated particles. These markers absorb or block imaging signals (such as X-rays), causing coated particles to appear distinct from uncoated ones in medical imaging, thereby solving the distinguishability problem while maintaining the bioactive mineral coating.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by placing radiopaque markers at specific locations on or within the coated ceramic particles. Rather than modifying the entire particle surface, the markers are localized to specific regions, allowing the mineral coating to maintain its bioactive properties while the localized markers provide distinguishability through imaging contrast.
2Reliability
If nanoparticle sized coatings are applied, then bone cell stimulation is improved, but visual identification by users deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies nested doll by embedding radiopaque markers within or on the surface of the nanoparticle-sized mineral coating. The nanoparticle coating maintains its bone-stimulating properties at the nanoscale, while larger radiopaque markers are nested within or on this coating layer, providing visual identification without interfering with the nanoscale bioactive surface that contacts bone cells.
3Adaptability or versatility
If surface area is increased through coating, then biological integration is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by concentrating the complexity of the coating structure at specific locations rather than uniformly across all particles. The radiopaque markers and enhanced surface features are applied locally to specific regions of the ceramic particles, providing the necessary biological integration benefits where needed while keeping the overall device design simpler and more manufacturable.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The surface markers enhance the implants' visibility, surface area, and mechanical flexibility, leading to improved biological integration and healing efficacy by distinguishing coated from uncoated implants and facilitating better bone growth.
Implementation Method 1
Calcium phosphate based mineral coatings represent desirable surfaces for biomedical applications, as they can be similar in composition to bone tissue and have been shown to promote favorable interactions with natural bone, a property termed 'bioactivity'.
Implementation Method 2
lyophilizing the mixture comprising the macroparticles to form the bone implant
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~4B
Figure 5A~7B
AI summary
A bone implant is provided which includes a plurality of lyophilized porous macroparticles comprising ceramic material and collagen. The plurality of lyophilized porous macroparticles is coated with a mineral coating which comprises nano-size features having a carbonate-substituted, calcium-deficient hydroxyapatite component, the bone implant comprising a plurality of recesses, projections, or a combination thereof. A method of making the bone implant and a method of treating a bone defect with the bone implant are also provided.