The most common failure in orthopedic and dental devices is the lack of osseointegration, or failure of bonding between the patient's bone and  implant. These failures can be very detrimental, especially among elderly or debilitated patients, and often necessitate revision surgeries that have increased risks, pain, complications and costs.
 

MJ3's nanospring enhanced coatings accelerate bone formation and improve bonding to orthopedic and dental implants, resulting in a living bone interface that will significantly reduce or eliminate implant failure.

 

Woven bone is the initial bone created at the interface between the implant and patient's bone. Collagen type 1 is the natural scaffolding that occurs during the healing process. Collagen and the nanosprings provide a large available surface area for bone cells to attach. Such a material is an enhancement to today’s porous device surfaces. The ability to coat the nanosprings with thin layers of metal/metal alloys, proteins and minerals can further enhance the synthetic collagen complex to mimic many osteogenic steps in the healing process, such as the formation of mineralized nucleation sites. The unique properties of the nanosprings and the resulting scaffolding optimize bone tissue deposition and improve integration to the device.

 

Experiments have shown that MJ3's nanospring enhanced coating accelerated bone formation in 1/3 the time when compared to normal conditions. Furthermore, the nanospring/bone matrix that formed proved to be durable, biocompatible, and able to withstand conventional autoclave procedures.

 

Nanosprings (Figure 3A) and collagen type 1 have similar dimensions and helical structure, and the mat formed by the nanosprings (Figure 3B) mimics woven bone.¹ Collagen type 1 image by FEI, Paul Gunning, Smith and Nephew can be seen at http://www.fei.com/resources/image-gallery/knee-joint-capsule-7329.aspx.