Award Winning Titan Spine Data Demonstrating PEEK Produces an Inflammatory Environment Favoring Cell Death Published in Spine
MEQUON, Wis.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Titan Spine, a medical device surface technology company focused on developing innovative spinal interbody fusion implants, today announced that data from a study comparing its proprietary surface technology to polyetheretherketone (PEEK) have now been published in the March 15 print issue of Spine.
The data demonstrate that Titan’s line of Endoskeleton® Interbody Devices promote osteoblastic differentiation and enhanced bone-forming environment compared to devices made from PEEK. Specifically, the data show that fibrous tissue formation around PEEK implants may be due to the creation of an inflammatory environment.
Barbara Boyan, Ph.D., Dean of the School of Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University, and lead author of the study, said, “These results indicate that Titan’s surface reduces production of inflammatory mediators and increases production of anti-inflammatory mediators compared to PEEK, thus creating an enhanced environment for bone growth and fusion. Fibrous tissue formation around PEEK spinal implants is due to several factors including increased inflammatory cytokines and decreased cell viability. These data add to the growing body of medical knowledge supporting the use of titanium implants featuring a complex roughened topography at the macro-micro-nano (MMN) levels that induce healing on the cellular level where it is critical for early bone formation.”
The study was granted the prestigious Whitecloud Award for Best Basic Science Research from the Scoliosis Research Society when they were initially presented at the 21st International Meeting on Advanced Spine Techniques (IMAST) in 2014.
