An Osteoconductive Antibiotic Bone Eluting Putty with a Custom Polymer Matrix.

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Drug Delivery Systems
• Orthopedic Surgery

Background:

• Antibiotic resistance necessitates novel strategies for effective treatment.
• Local antibiotic delivery to bone is challenging due to tissue penetration difficulties.
• Previous solid composite devices lacked optimal host bone integration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an osteoconductive antibiotic-releasing bone void filling putty.
• To refine a controlled-release polymer matrix for tailorable pharmacokinetics.
• To evaluate in vitro pharmacokinetic and bioactivity profiles of new formulations.

Main Methods:

• Formulation of an osteoconductive antibiotic-releasing putty.
• Refinement of pendant-functionalized diol polymers for controlled release.
• In vitro comparison of pharmacokinetic and bioactivity profiles.
• Analysis of vancomycin release from different polymer compositions and geometries.

Main Results:

• Pendant-functionalized polymers demonstrated controlled vancomycin release via diffusion and erosion.
• Release kinetics were consistent across different putty geometries (disks and spheres).
• The putty formulation showed promise for local antibiotic delivery in bone applications.

Conclusions:

• Novel pendant-functionalized polymers enable tunable, sustained antibiotic release from bone putty.
• The developed putty formulation supports osteoconduction and controlled drug delivery.
• In silico simulations will further optimize release profiles for clinical translation.