SCABAEGO (Scaffold Bioactive Glass-Enhanced Osteogenesis)

2023: Product Announcement

On November 2, 2023, German specialists from the Fraunhofer Institute of Industrial Technologies and Modern Materials announced the creation of a new composite material to accelerate bone fusion in severe fractures. The technology is developed as part of the joint research project SCABAEGO, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

The SCABAEGO (Scaffold Bioactive Glass-Enhanced Osteogenesis) initiative involves the Department of Traumatology and Reconstructive Surgery at Heidelberg University Hospital, as well as the medical engineering company BellaSeno. The composite developed is a combination of bioactive glass and a biodegradable polymer known as polycaprolactone. When glass comes into contact with body fluids, it turns into a very bone-like chemical compound called hydroxyapatite.

SCABAEGO

In the case of a complex fracture, at the first stage, the structure of the damaged bone is mapped using computed tomography. The new composite then 3D prints the individual primary and support structures that form the framework. Thus, each patient receives a unique, individually modeled implant, which avoids laborious mechanical adjustment in the operating room. In the final stage of the surgical procedure, the scaffold is filled with bone marrow taken from the patient's femur or other large bone.

Bioactive glass promotes the growth of new bone at the fracture site. In addition, the glass in the framework increases the pH of the environment to alkaline, which prevents the development of bacteria. Six to seven years after implantation, the scaffold completely biodegrades and turns into bone tissue.^[1]

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