In vitro and in vivo assessments of PCL-TCP composites for bone tissue engineering

Abstract

Currently, there is an unmet need for bone grafts which is the gold standard of treating patients with trauma related injuries or bone fracture. Autologous bone graft poses no issues of rejection but will result in donor site morbidity and is limited by defect size. Allografts and xenografts are not as popular due to the increased risk of disease transmission, high cost and graft rejection. Shortcomings of current bone grafts motivate researchers to look into polymer composites for better substitutes. PCL-TCP composites have demonstrated excellent biocompatibility, degradation profile and ability to incorporate cells and growth factors in both in vitro and in vivo model. The main aim in this thesis is to further evaluate and improve on the current properties of PCL-TCP composites from various aspects namely porosity and cell modulators.