BioMin

Functionalised mineral surfaces: Sorption mechanisms of growth-stimulating proteins on surfaces of bone substitutes based on calcium phosphates

The resorption process of biodegradable implants inside the human body is limited and strongly depends on the size of the component. It is known that bone growth can be supported by so called Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMP). The protein-coupling mechanism and desorption kinetics of the BMP on mineral surfaces, however, is not completely understood.

Project BioMin is supported by the BMBF (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung), and is based on the cooperation between five partners at universities and research centers in Germany. This project is focused on the characterization of BMP coupling to calcium phosphate based materials, and the explanation of the in vivo behavior of implants coated with BMP proteins. Our research group is responsible for developing and manufacturing innovative, novel materials which have to fulfill several requirements. At first, these materials should be biocompatible and should exhibit bioresorbable or at least bioactive behavior. The second condition of the material for the BMP-coupling process is the specific surface, which should be functionalized in a way that the BMPs can be easily coupled to the surface.

The selected materials can be characterized, using particle size analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry, X-ray fluorescence analysis, and Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (SIMS).