Novel Self-fitting Bone Scaffold

This novel self-fitting bone scaffold is made of a high performance shape memory composite foam (polyurethane) and modified hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (the principal mineral component of bone tissue). It can be safely implanted into bone defects and induce bone regeneration, thereby enhancing recovery of bone injuries and factures.

The scaffold can be compacted at 0°C, implanted in its compact form at room temperature, and resume its original shape at 40°C. The scaffold thus can fill up the irregular bone defects perfectly. The transitional temperatures, with range close to human body’s physiological temperatures, also enhance the feasibility of using the scaffold in minimally invasive surgery. This bone scaffold possesses great potential in clinical medical applications.