Researchers coat titanium with polymer to improve integration

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Details of the new coating appear in the July issue of the journalBiomaterials. The research was supported by the National Institutesof Health, the Arthritis Foundation and the Georgia Tech/EmoryNational Science Foundation Engineering Research Center on theEngineering of Living Tissues.

Total knee and hip replacements typically last about 15 years untilthe components wear down or loosen. For many younger patients, thismeans a second surgery to replace the first artificial joint. Withapproximately 40 percent of the 712,000 total hip and kneereplacements in the United States in 2004 performed on youngerpatients 45-64 years old, improving the lifetime of the titaniumjoints and creating a better connection with the bone becomesextremely important.

Current clinical practice includes roughening the surface of thetitanium implant or coating it with a flaky, hard-to-apply ceramicthat bonds directly to bone.

In collaboration with Georgia Tech School of Chemistry andBiochemistry professor David Collard, graduate students Tim Petrieand Jenny Raynor, and research technician Kellie Burns, Garc