Bone tissue engineering guided by magnetic forces and magnetic scaffolds
4th International Conference on Nanotek & Expo
December 01-03, 2014 DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel San Francisco Airport, USA

Alessandro Russo, Michele Bianchi, Silvia Panseri, Monica Sandri, Maria Cristina Maltarello,Tatiana Shelyakova, Alessandro Ortolani, Marco Boi, Anna Tampieri, Valentin Dediu and M Marcacci

Accepted Abstracts: J Nanomed Nanotechnol

Abstract:

A major challenge is of bone tissue engineering is to regenerate bone tissue with a controlled three dimensional architecture able to reproduce the native biological and mechanical characteristics. The application of magnetic forces to orient, in vitro, the osteoblasts and the collagen fibrils according to magnetic field lines and to boost cell proliferation and differentiation has been yet demonstrated. The objective of the present study is to show that magnetic forces can guide bone tissue regeneration in a well-defined three dimensional pattern according to the applied magnetic field. 24 hydroxyapatite/collagen (70:30) scaffolds magnetized with magnetic nanoparticles according to two different magnetization methods, were implanted in both the lateral femoral condyles of 12 rabbits in contact with a permanent magnet. Nonmagnetic scaffolds were also implanted as control group. Magnetized scaffolds showed new bone tissue formation at both follow-up times (4-12 weeks) and no adverse reactions occurred. For the first time in vivo, it is also revealed that, in the presence of static magnetic field, the scaffold collagen fibrils oriented parallel to the magnetic field after 4 weeks, whereas after 12 weeks the new bone formation is oriented perpendicular to the magnetic lines compared with the random tissue regeneration showed by the control group. Nanomechanical tests have been also carried out in order to address the new bone tissue maturity at 4/12 weeks. These findings open the way to the fascinating possibility of recreating in vivo the three dimensional functional architecture of bone tissue guided by magnetic forces and magnetic scaffolds.

Biography :

Alessandro Russo got his Master Degree in Medicine and Surgery in 2000 and PhD in 2009 at University of Bologna. Since 2001, he has been carrying on numerous research regarding knee prosthesis fixation and polyethylene wear by means of Roentgen Stereophotogrammetric Analysis (RSA) technique. The main field of interest is the application of nanostructured materials in orthopaedic surgery. Presently, he is orthopaedic Surgeon and Researcher at the Laboratory of NanoBiotechnologies of the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute, Italy.