Strontium-Modified Bone Substitute Material
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current bone substitute materials, such as hydroxyapatite and calcium phosphate, are osteoconductive but lack osteoinductive properties, and the addition of growth factors like BMPs is inefficient and can cause systemic effects.
Innovation Solution
A method to modify bone substitute materials by incorporating strontium, fluorine, magnesium, manganese, or zinc ions into the hydroxyapatite lattice through a controlled thermal treatment process, ensuring these ions are concentrated on the surface for localized osteotropic and osteoinductive effects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If growth factors such as BMPs, IGF1/2, FGF, or serum products are added to bone substitute materials to achieve osteoinductive properties, then osteoinductive effects are obtained, but the substances are quickly washed away or degraded, resulting in short-lived effects and possible systemic effects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the chemical/biological approach of using growth factors with a physical/chemical approach by incorporating strontium ions directly into the hydroxyapatite crystal lattice through ion exchange. This substitution creates a stable, long-lasting osteoinductive effect without the degradation and washout problems of protein-based growth factors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite material by incorporating strontium ions into the hydroxyapatite structure, forming strontium-substituted hydroxyapatite. This composite approach combines the osteoconductive properties of hydroxyapatite with the osteoinductive properties of strontium, achieving both long-term stability and biological activity.
2Reliability
If additional proteins, peptides, or molecules are supplemented to bone substitute materials to achieve osteoinductive properties, then osteoinductive effects are obtained, but the implant structure becomes more complex and the substances cannot be accurately dosed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and isolates the essential osteoinductive component (strontium ions) from complex biological molecules like growth factors. By using only strontium ions incorporated into the hydroxyapatite lattice, the patent eliminates the need for additional proteins, peptides, or other complex molecules, thereby simplifying the implant composition while maintaining osteoinductive efficacy.
3Quantity of substance
If conventional hydrothermal processes are used to incorporate strontium ions into bone substitute materials, then ion exchange is achieved, but the process is highly energy-intensive and requires temperatures up to 230°C and extended time periods
Solution Approach 1:
The patent fundamentally changes the processing parameters from conventional hydrothermal conditions (230°C for hours or days) to low-temperature sintering (400-1150°C for minutes to hours). This parameter change dramatically reduces energy consumption while achieving effective strontium ion incorporation into the hydroxyapatite lattice through a modified sintering process.
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 method achieves long-lasting, localized osteotropic and osteoinductive properties, enhancing bone healing without systemic effects, and is applicable to bone defects and implant surfaces.
Implementation Method 1
calcium atoms of the hydroxyapatite are partially replaced by atoms of the modifying material
Implementation Method 2
The intermediate product is then thermally treated at a treatment temperature below the melting point of the modifying material and the starting material
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for modifying a bone replacement material or a surface coating of an implant into a product with osteotropic properties from a solid, microporous starting material, comprising the steps of comminuting a modifying material from a solid source of strontium, fluorine, magnesium, manganese, zinc and/or gallium atoms to an average diameter of maximum 1.0 mm or smaller and applying the comminuted modifying material to the starting material to produce an intermediate product.Furthermore, the step of thermally treating the intermediate product at a treatment temperature below the melting point of the modifying material and the bone substitute material or the surface coating of the implant for a treatment time in a thermal treatment facility in an open atmosphere so that moisture can escape, to produce the product, whereby calcium atoms of the hydroxyapatite are partially replaced by atoms of the modifying material. The modifying material of the intermediate product has a maximum moisture content of 10%, and the treatment temperature and treatment time lie within a range whose lower limit is at least 400°C treatment temperature and at least 30 minutes treatment time, and is further defined by at least 1150°C treatment temperature and at least 2 minutes treatment time.Finally, a step of cleaning the product from unincorporated modifying material by mechanical, chemical or physical cleaning processes is carried out.