In Vitro Testing of Cellular Response On Bone Biomaterials

We are working to address a critical problem in the orthopedic field by developing new, resorbable synthetic bone biomaterials that can be used to more effectively repair problematic fractures by integrating into host tissue and supporting tissue regeneration. The materials are remodeled in vivo through the process of osteoclast-mediated resorption, where osteoclasts migrate in from the host bone followed by osteoblasts which subsequently form new bone that repairs the fracture. It follows that any viable biomaterial must demonstrate favorable interactions with these cell types. We are currently performing in vitro testing of various allograft bone/polyurethane composite formulations to verify that they support cell viability, proliferation, and differentiation of both osteoclast and osteoblast cells of murine origin. Future work will be directed toward developing a co-culture system to run tests with both cell types concurrently and more accurately model the actual in-vivo environment. We anticipate that such a capability would allow additional fine-tuning of the composite biomaterial to be done during the in vitro testing phase, thereby saving time and money later on during in vivo testing.