A feasibility study on the biological and material properties of a polyethylene oxide-silicate nanocomposite system for coating and other biomedical applications

Patrick J Schexnailder, Purdue University

Abstract

From the controlled delivery of therapeutic agents to providing structural support for the regeneration of native tissue, the medical industry increasingly uses biomaterials in the treatment of patients. However, the body can recognize implanted biomaterials as foreign, and the body's response often reduces the efficacy of the implanted biomaterial. Developing a biomaterial that selectively controls the cell-biomaterial interaction requires the precise control of chemical, physical and biological properties and can lead to great improvements in current biomaterial approaches. The objective of this study is to develop a novel, yet simple, biomaterial capable of meeting the physical and biological demands in controlled cell adhesion functions, particularly coating applications. PEO is a common, biocompatible synthetic polymer used in biomaterial development, and Laponite RD (LRD) is a silicate nanoparticle, which acts as a multifunctional cross-linker to PEO. Increased ionic strength within silicate-PEO hydrogels leads to stiffer hydrogels and an increase in heterogeneity within the hydrogel matrix. After measuring the biocompatibility of the system in general, a set of novel PEO-silicate cross-linked nanocomposites with a formula for tuning the cellular adhesion is presented, along with a mechanism describing cell interaction.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Schmidt, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Biomedical engineering

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