Executive Summary
Polyethylene is commonly used as a material for medical implants such as total joint replacements. Unfortunately, polyethylene wear particles can promote adverse host immune responses in patients, which may require secondary revision surgery. MSU researchers have recently discovered that metabolic reprogramming and altered bioenergetics is a key reason for the adverse immune responses and have developed a novel means of reducing them by the incorporation of metabolic inhibitors into the implanted materials.
Description of the Technology
This technology utilizes various small molecule inhibitors incorporated into the implant material to target metabolic pathways in key immune cells. The presence, and then release of these inhibitors during the breakdown of polyethylene-based implants, inhibits different steps of the glycolytic pathway and prevents undesired inflammation. A variety of types of inhibitors can be incorporated into the implant such as on the surface or dispersed in the material depending on the application. The implementation of these small molecule inhibitors into biomedical implants enables the safe application in soft- and hard- tissue regeneration, nanomedicine, and drug delivery. This technology has currently been demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo.
Benefits
Applications
Patent Status
Published patent application WO2023147055A
Licensing Rights
Full licensing rights available
References
Oct 18, 2022 BioRxiv article
Feb 2023 Journal of Immunology and Regenerative Medicine Article
Inventors
Dr. Chima Maduka, DVM, PhD, Dr. Christopher H. Contag, PhD, Dr. Stuart Goodman, MD, PhD
TECH ID
TEC2023-0072