Personalized Strategies for Periodontal Tissue Regeneration - A Converged Biofabrication Approach

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Periodontitis (gum disease) is a ubiquitous chronic inflammatory, bacteria-triggered oral disorder affecting two-thirds of Americans over age 65. If left untreated, it leads to severe destruction of the periodontal attachment apparatus, eventually resulting in tooth loss. There are no approaches for predictably regenerating defects with severe bone loss and avoiding tooth extraction. Thus, there is an emerging quest for personalized solutions that can guide coordinated growth and development of the periodontal attachment apparatus. We hypothesize that: (1) Melt ElectroWriting (MEW) is the fabrication tool required to develop a compositionally and structurally tailored, tissue-specific scaffold to hearten bone growth and PDL formation on root surfaces with moderate adjacent bone; and (2) the convergence of MEW with ceramic printing is key to engineering a compositionally graded and structurally tailored scaffold to support bone growth while guiding PDL formation on root surfaces with minimum adjacent bone. Two aims are proposed. Aim 1 will optimize a personalized, compositionally and structurally tailored, tissue-specific polymeric scaffold to regenerate defects with moderate surrounding bone. Aim 2 will develop a personalized, compositionally graded and structurally tailored, tissue-specific multi-material scaffold to regenerate defects with minimum surrounding bone. To expedite translation, we will determine efficacy using our clinically relevant animal models. Successful completion of this project is central to translating personalized therapies to treat tissue destruction caused by periodontitis and thus saving millions of teeth from extraction.

Grant Number: 5R01DE031476-05
NIH Institute/Center: NIH
Principal Investigator: Marco Bottino