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Manufacturing and Process Scale-Up

Mesophase-Driven Piezoelectric PLLA Scaffolds for Enhanced Long Term Delivery for Bone Regeneration

Cameron Baptista – Former Student, Brown University; Edith Mathiowitz, PhD – PI, PLM, Brown University
Introduction:

Bone recovery is often hindered by slow regeneration and the lack of active stimuli in traditional scaffolds. We report a biodegradable PLLA material that mimics bone’s natural piezoelectric properties. By utilizing a structural mesophase, the polymer enhances mechanical-to-electrical transduction while providing a reservoir for extended long-term drug release. This architecture enables the sustained delivery of dexamethasone and potentially osteogenic proteins, preventing burst release and ensuring long-term bioactive support at the defect site.

Learning Objectives:

  • Demonstrate the role of the PLLA mesophase in modulating the release kinetics of dexamethasone
  • Demonstrate the correlation between induced mesophase content and piezoelectric activity in PLLA.
  • Use morphological analysis as a predictive metric for mechanical, piezoelectric, and release characteristics