A comparison of 3-dimensional calcium phosphate scaffolds for candidate bone tissue engineering constructs

grantor: University of TorontoMany materials are available for osseous repair of which calcium phosphates (CP) are generally considered materials of choice, and have been adopted as scaffolds for the restoration of bone stock through bone 'tissue engineering ' (TE) strategies. However, the ideal CP scaffold for a bone TE construct has yet to be found. It was hypothesized that one essential criterion for a successful CP-TE scaffold is a fully interconnecting macroporosity that would permit three dimensional tissue growth. Thus, five different types of porous CP scaffolds, obtained from Zimmer International Inc., CAM Implants, and School of Materials Engineering, Yeungnam University, Korea, ['CPP'], having different macroporosities, were investigated for their suitability as TE constructs. The highest degree of interconnecting macroporosity was found in the CPP scaffold-types. The Zimmer and CAM Implant scaffolds possessed macropores but little, or no, interconnecting macroporosity. All CPs supported bone growth ' in vitro'. However, the CPP scaffolds demonstrated bone growth throughout their porous network, while bone growth was on the Zimmer and CAM Implant scaffolds was restricted to their outer surfaces.M.A.Sc