Bone tissue engineering by ex vivo stem cells ongrowth into three-dimensional trabecular metal

Abstract

Adult autologous stem cells cultured on a porous, three-dimensional tissue scaffold-implant for bone regeneration by the use of a hyaluronan and/or dexamethasone to accelerate bone healing alone or in combination with recombinant growth factors or transfected osteogenic genes. The scaffold-implant may be machined into a custom-shaped three-dimensional cell culture system for support of cell growth, reservoir for peptides, recombinant growth factors, cytokines and antineoplastic drugs in the presence of a hyaluronan and/or dexamethasone alone or in combination with growth factors or transfected osteogenic genes, to be assembled ex vivo in a tissue incubator for implantation into bone tissue.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A three-dimensional tissue scaffold-implant for supporting tissue on-growth, the scaffold-implant comprising:
 a lattice having a matrix of interconnected pores which form surfaces in three dimensions;   an inert, bio-compatible material covering the surfaces; and   at least one of a hyaluronan, dexamethasone, protein, peptide, transcript factor, cytokine, therapeutic agent, chitosan, polymer, osteogenic gene and growth factor, covering the'material.