Porous hydroxyapatite cell carrier for tissue engineering

The scope of the present work is to describe the development of a porous calciumphospate device characterised by bimodal porosity suitable for cells loading and bone recolonisation [1]. The porosity distribution and morphology were investigated by image analysis, as through the interconnecting porosity the nutrients are exchanged between pores, enhancing bone ingrowth into the scaffold e.g. a porous hydroxyapatite. Previous studies [2,3,4] demonstrated that, using bimodal porous hydroxyapatite loaded with autologous bone marrow stromal cells, it was possible to generate new bone in shorter time with respect to cells alone or hydroxyapatite alone. This was due to the ability of osteoprogenitor cells to differentiate and generate new bone faster in the bimodal porous ceramic scaffold.