Fabrication of Interconnected Nano-Macro Porous Glass by the Melt-Quench-Heat-Etch Method (Technology#: 011807-01)

Lehigh University Office of Technology Transfer
posted on 07/10/2009

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Description:

Lehigh University has developed a superior method for creating nano-macro porous glass. The method uses sucrose as a macropore former and dissolving sucrose phase in water at room temperature for large scale nano-porosity (100-300 nm) for virus separation. It exploits the advantages of the conventional meltquench processing, as well as allows for the introduction of controlled porosity without significant cracking.

This newly demonstrated ''melt-quench-heat-etch method'' results in an interconnected porous glass, which is structurally stronger than the ones prepared by other methods. The technology is optimized for enhanced bone regeneration performance by providing stronger and faster bonding between glass and bone cells. A patent application has been filed on this technology

The Market:

While tissue scaffold engineering for bone and cartilage repair may not be a new development, there is still an immediate window of opportunity for such technology. This is due not only to the size of the global bone replacement material market, which is around $2B as of 2010, but also due to the aging baby-boomer population and the need for more innovative and effective bone replacement and grafting techniques. There has also been a shift towards the biologics of bone healing and way from the mechanics of bone healing, further contributing to the growth of this market. [1]

The opportunity

Lehigh University is interested in licensing this technology.

 

For More Information on this Technology Contact:

Yatin S. Karpe, Ph.D.
Associate Director

Office of Technology Transfer
Lehigh University
354 Whitaker Laboratory
5 East Packer Ave.
Bethlehem, PA 18015

Phone: (610) 758-5841
Fax: (610) 758-5888 fax
Email: yatin.karpe@lehigh.edu
Web: http://www.lehigh.edu/ott

 

Claire Casola

Licensing Coordinator

Foresight Science & Technology

401-273-4844 Ext. 17; Claire.Casola@Foresightst.Com

      

 

[1] "Bioactive Technologies for Bone Replacement," Medical Devices Today web site,

       http://www.medicaldevicestoday.com/2010/06/bioactive-technologies-for-bone-replacement.html,accessed September 2, 2010.

 

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In regenerative medicine a biocompatible material is needed to repair damaged or diseased tissue to its original state or function by helping natural healing processes to work faster with human cell cultures. This may be accomplished with scaffolds which act as 3-D templates for cell growth and formation of living tissues. Recently, scaffolds containing dual porosity at the nano- and macroscale have been claimed to exhibit better performance in terms of crystallization of hydroxycarbonate apatite, cell adhesion, proliferation, and also vascularization. The present invention provides a method for preparing a silica-based bioactive scaffold, based on the melt-quench procedure that induces phase separation. The glass is heat-treated to produce complex microstructures consisting of phase separation and crystallization at nano- as well as macro-scales, followed by selective leaching of multiple phases. The newly demonstrated "melt-quench-heat-etch method" results in an interconnected porous glass, which is structurally stronger than the ones prepared by other methods and optimized for enhanced bone regeneration performance. The same method can be extended to other compositions that show spinodal phase separation, which will be more suitable for applications other than bioscaffolds.