Jennifer Schmiss

Former Bachelor student

Bioactive glass scaffolds coated by mesoporous nanoparticles for bone regeneration

 

Supervisors: Dr. Qaisar Nawaz, Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini

Bone tissue engineering (BTE) offers methods for bone regeneration by usually using 3D scaffolds made from biologically active materials that have fitting chemical composition and mechanical properties (e.g., 45S5 bioactive glass). There is also the possibility to modify these scaffolds by incorporating bioactive elements to enhance the bioactivity. In this Bachelor’s thesis, mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles (MBGNs) will be produced by using a micro-emulsion-assisted sol-gel approach [1]. These MBGNs will also be doped with metallic ions as therapeutic agents [2]. Furthermore, the MBGNs will be used to coat 45S5 BG scaffolds produced by using the foam replica technique [3]. The mechanical properties of the scaffolds will be improved by coating them with polycaprolactone (PCL). The scaffolds and MBGNs will be characterized in terms of morphology, in-vitro bioactivity, and in-vitro cytocompatibility.

[1] Nawaz Q, Rehman MAU, Burkovski A, et al. Synthesis and characterization of manganese containing mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles for biomedical applications. J Mater Sci: Mater Med. 2018 May 8; 29(5):64: 1-13.

[2] Decker S, Kunisch E, Moghaddam A, et al. Molybdenum trioxide enhances viability, osteogenic differentiation and extracellular matrix formation of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells. J Trace Elem Med Biol. 2021 Dec; 68:1-8.

[3] Chen QZ, Thompson ID, Boccaccini AR. 45S5 Bioglass-derived glass-ceramic scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. Biomaterials. 2006 Apr; 27(11):2414-2425.