Titanium Surface Supports Bone Formation (Biloine Young @ OTW)
The titanium alloy surface made by Titan Spine and designed to create a bone-forming response when used in spinal surgery, received a boost when the authors of an article in Spine Journal found it superior in performance to smooth titanium and Polyetheretherketone (PEEK).
The peer reviewed data showed that Titan Spine’s surface, featuring a proprietary combination of textures on the macro, micro and nano levels, significantly increased osteoblast maturation and the local production of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs).
“Modifying surface structure is sufficient to create an osteogenic environment that could enhance bone formation and implant stability, without the addition of exogenous growth factors,” wrote Barbara Boyan, Ph.D., professor of biomedical engineering at the Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, George Institute of Technology. She was the lead author of the article.
Kevin Gemas, president of Titan Spine, is pleased that the data set was published. “It clearly illustrates that our surface technology produces a superior environment for bone production over other common interbody fusion implant materials,” he said. “This data, and others we hope will be published in the suture, is helping to change the way spine surgeons and the rest of the spinal community think about interbody fusion implants. No longer should they be thought of as mere interbody spacers, but rather as active participants in the fusion process that promotes the body to produce BMP’s naturally and avoids the need for the addition of BMP that was developed externally.”
The abstract of the article, titled, “Osteoblasts exhibit a more differentiated phenotype and increased bone morphogenetic protein production on titanium alloy than on poly-ether-ketone,” can be viewed at http//www.thespinejournalonline.com/article/S1529-9430 (12)00091-5/abstract. Titan Spine, LLC. is a privately owned medical implant surface technology company located in Mequon, Wisconsin. The company’s website is www.titanspine.com.