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There is a paucity of mechanically strong and reliable cortical bone substitutes. Autogenous bone is optimal but it can be in short supply and its harvest carries with it the risk of donor site morbidity and infection, and increased operative time. A novel material that has been developed here at the Case Department of Biomedical Engineering uses a collagen scaffold for subsequent mineralization with carbonated apatite to form a nanophase composite, which mimics normal bone architecture and has the mechanical properties necessary for load sharing and even load bearing function immediately upon insertion.
 We now seek to examine the material in an in-vivo setting. A unilateral defect will be made in the body of a rat mandible, and the material will be placed in this defect. Assessment of osseointegration will consist of radiographic data, histologic analysis, and design-based stereologic techniques. This data will shed light on the degree to which this material is truly biocompatible and osseointegrative, and whether it is replaced by normal trabecular bone.
Jonathan Z Baskin, MD –Department of Otolaryngology-HNS
Steven Eppell, PhD – Primary Appointment in the Department of Biomedical
Engineering; Secondary appointment in the Department of Otolaryngology-HNS
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