Background
Medical practitioners have long sought an effective and minimally intrusive method for stimulating bone formation (osteoinduction), with attempts dating back to the prehistoric period. Materials used then included coral, shells, ivory, and human and animal bones; currently the preferred method is autografting (using bones obtained from the same subject), followed closely by allografting (bones from another subject, such as processed cadaver bones).

Given the limited availability of organic human bones, research has turned to other materials, including metals, synthetic ceramics, corals, and composites. Research has focused on calcium phosphate-based (CaP) biomaterials because of their similarity in composition to the bone mineral and similarities in some properties of bone that include biodegradability, bioactivity, and osteoconductivity. Due to the chemical similarity between hydroxyapatite (HA) and bone apatite, it has played a key role in the calcification and resorption processes of bone. Typical applications combine HA with a load-bearing substrate. This substrate, however, usually remains within the body. A more elegant solution would provide the osteoinductivity and structural benefits of current approaches while being absorbable by the subject’s body.

Invention Description
The disclosed invention relates to the use of proteins and certain other compounds for binding calcium-containing mineral compounds to cellulose. Specific minerals include calcium phosphates and calcium carbonate. The invention also relates to the use of certain proteins to bind cellulose to polylactic acid (PLA). The composites provided herein can be used to produce osteoinductive bone scaffolds by coating calcium phosphate onto cellulose including microbial cellulose. This would replace current scaffolding materials (ceramic, metal) with cellulose, a bioabsorbable material.

File Number: 3592b