The UJI and the UPV/EHU are awarded a European patent for innovative osteoinductive coatings for dental implants

The European Patent Office (EPO) has granted to the Universitat Jaume I (UJI) and the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) the ownership of an invention developed jointly entitled "Osteoinductive coatings for dental implants". In this way, EPO examiners, who happen to be one of the most demanding in the world, have recognised the novelty and originality of the technology developed for eight years by the research group Polymers and Advanced Materials (PIMA). The group is led by the professor Julio Suay at the UJI and the group of Biomaterials from the Department of Science and Technology of Polymers at the UPV-EHU.

The patented technology consists of coatings that, when applied to the surface of bone implants and in particular of dental implants, achieve a higher quality integration with the maxillary bone in a shorter time by promoting the generation of bone around the implanted part. These properties, which are now officially acknowledged by the EPO, have led the company Ilerimplant Group, manufacturer of GMI implants, to obtain a license to exploit the patent. Ilerimplant (http://www.ilerimplant.com/) is a reference in dental implantology in Spain, specialized for more than 15 years in the development, production, commercialization and distribution of medical material for the dental sector.

In Professor Julio Suay’s oppinion, one of the most interesting aspects of the project was "to bring together the different academic and business points of view to offer a solution to a medical problem". Among the most complicated aspects, he highlights "obtaining the necessary financing to develop a project of this type, which initially has a high degree of uncertainty and requires long periods of time to carry out the developments and reach the final product”.

The patent is the result of eight years of work by an interdisciplinary team of seventeen people from the academic and professional world with expertise in the areas of engineering, chemistry, biology, biotechnology and medicine. In the field of maxillofacial surgery, the implant has the function of replacing the dental root, thus creating a solid piece on which to place the denture or dental crown. The goal, as with all other implants, is to restore the lost function.

The use of dental implants has been widespread in recent years, leading to an expanding market worldwide. However, there are patients who cannot be operated on due to metabolic, haematological, cardiological or bone metabolism problems. These patients have reduced their ability to regenerate bone and, therefore, the process of osseointegration of the implant is compromised, so dentists do not advise the intervention. Other problems that can cause implant failure are deficits in bone quality and/or quantity, such as in older people or smoking patients (high risk factor for implant failure).

The coatings developed by the UJI and the UPV/EHU are aimed at offering a solution for these patients, since they are able to promote the formation of bone in patients with poor bone quality, so that they can access solutions of dental implantology and thereby recover the functionality of their teeth. "With the conclusion of the research phase and the preclinical tests that demonstrate its safety and biocompatibility," Suay states, "a clinical trial in humans is currently under way to confirm its effectiveness. Given that this new technology enables researchers and the company to have a platform for local release of different biomolecules from the implant itself, work is already under way on the development of new and improved formulations that will favour the increase of bone regeneration in the future”.

The patent falls within the so-called functional coatings, which are coatings that possess specific properties of great value, in addition to their ability to apply and adhere to different surfaces. In biomedicine applications, they can serve as release vehicles that, from an implant, can release ions and molecules of proven biological action in bone regeneration or that achieve regeneration of the surrounding tissues. They can be applied to all types of prosthesis, from dental implants to hip and knee prosthesis.

Currently, the group of Polymer and Advanced Materials, coordinated by Julio Suay, works on implants for bone regeneration and infection control. They have shown that it is possible to add to the implant coatings, particularly in dental implants, certain compounds or drugs capable of accelerating the formation of bone around the implant (as is the case with the European patent granted by the EPO) or to prevent infections of the surrounding tissue.

M. Martínez-Ibáñez; M. J. Juan-Díaz; I. Lara-Saez; A. Coso; J. Franco; M. Gurruchaga; Julio José Suay Antón; Isabel Goñi. Biological characterization of a new silicon based coating developed for dental implants. JOURNAL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE-MATERIALS IN MEDICINE. 4 27), pp. 1-9. 2016. Disponible en Internet en: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10856-016-5690-9. ISSN 0957-4530.