RESTORATION - New resorbable bioceramic materials from Leitat on Vimeo.

Restoration, a European research project, has developed new resorbable bioceramic materials that can be used in three different cases: the mandible, the vertebrae and the knees. Positive project result bodes well for these products becoming available on the market within a few years.

These products can mimic the structure of bones, and can be designed to closely match the mechanical requirements of the implant sites. In addition, some of the bioceramics are bioactive, which means they can be fully absorbed by the body.

The project is now coming to an end but some partners will exploit the project results and bring these new technologies to the market in the coming years. Depending on further progress, British company JRI Orthopaedics might create a spin-off for the industrial scale-up of products developed within the project. This is the case for a bioceramic material to be used as a bone filler, and a 3D printed plug to treat osteochondral defects. In parallel, Spanish company Sagetis Biotech developed a polymer paste, and Italian company Bionica Tech/COREP developed an osteoinductive composite cement called Spine-Ghost, both to be injected into broken vertebrae. Other technologies are in an earlier development stage and further research needs to be done to reach commercialisation. This is the case for a novel plate design for maxillofacial fracture fixation, and for an injectable material for osteochondral repair.

“The project has been a real success; all the partners have different interests in terms of exploitation but they benefited from the expertise of the others and developed strong research and business partnerships,” said Kenny Dalgarno, Professor at Newcastle University and project coordinator.

The Restoration project was developed over a 4-year period with following organizations: Newcastle University (project coordinator), JRI Orthopaedics, Sagetis Biotech, Universidade de Évora, Orla Protein Technologies, LEITAT, Karolinska Institutet, Bionica Tech/Corep, Institut Quimic de Sarria , Glass Technology Services, and FPO.