PEEK implants decorated with nanoparticles
Cranial defects caused by trauma, diseases, infection or malignancy, are either repaired naturally or through autologous, allogenic or xenogeneic implants [1]. These approaches bear numerous shortcomings, which custom cranial implants (Figure 1), 3D printing and novel biomaterials such as polyether ether ketone (PEEK) aim to overcome. PEEK implants are predicted to become a huge industry in the future for orthopaedic, facial and cranial surgeries and prostheses [2]. Rapid prototyping patient specific cranial implants would increase the surgeon’s satisfaction and patient’s comfort. This project is part of a multidisciplinary collaboration with researchers and clinicians from the UK and India. In a previous study, the biocompatibility of PEEK was assessed in comparison with standard tissue culture formats. Data have shown that PEEK is a very promising biomaterial when used for the culture of osteoblast-like cells. Following on from this work, we propose to surface modify PEEK 3D printing filaments to enhance the material’s biocompatibility. Therefore, PEEK will be processed with a variety of high-power lasers with a view to identify suitable processing conditions (wavelength, energy density, rep-rate, spot size, scan pattern etc) to create the desired surface morphology for enhanced biocompatibility. The biocompatibility of surface-modified PEEK will be tested by investigating the biological response of bone cells. Cells will be cultured in the presence and absence of PEEK. Cell responses will be evaluated via biochemical assays, histological stains, brightfield and fluorescent imaging as well as mechanical testing. Potential for PEEK surface modifications to avoid implant complications will be explored.
Training: good lab practice, H&S, cell culture, high power laser processing.
References
[1] Jindal P, Chaitanya, Bharadwaja SSS, et al. Optimizing cranial implant and fixture design using different materials in cranioplasty. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part L: Journal of Materials: Design and Applications. June 2022. doi:10.1177/14644207221104875[2] Prashant J, Abhipriya B, Major S, Deval P, Watson J, O’Connor R, Breedon P, Reinwald Y, Juneja M. Unilateral cranial defect bone reconstruction using 3D designing and manufacturing. Transactions on Additive Manufacturing Meets Medicine Trans. AMMM, Vol. 4, No 1, Article ID xxx, x Pages.