Magnesium-based medical implants are a promising new avenue for orthopedic, craniofacial, and cardiovascular surgery, but the rapid corrosion characteristic of magnesium can result in hydrogen gas pockets and, ultimately, implant failure. Magnesium-based implants alone also have no way of releasing drugs or other bioactive molecules into the surrounding tissue. Although previous ceramic and polymer coatings have attempted to address some of these individual shortcomings, our bioactive polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) coating stands to address numerous needs in a single technology.
Description
To apply our PEM coating, a standard dip coater immerses a pretreated substrate in alternating solutions of positively and negatively charged polymers to form thin, well-adhered film layers. The polymers themselves are highly customizable in stiffness, hydrophobicity, degradation rate, cell attachment, and other parameters. In mouse pre-osteoblasts and human stem cells, PEM-coated magnesium provides significant corrosion resistance and increased cell viability compared to uncoated magnesium. Tests with a model protein demonstrate that our coating is capable of the controlled release of biomolecules.
Applications
• Improving performance of medical implants made of magnesium or magnesium alloy
• Delivery of drugs, growth factors, or other biomolecules from implant surface
Advantages
• Anti-corrosive
• Improved biocompatibility and biointegration
• Degradable biomolecule delivery vehicle
Invention Readiness
in vitro data
IP Status
https://patents.google.com/patent/US11898055B2
