Cedarville Magazine Summer 2018

T he side of a house covered with a vine. We’ve all seen one. Sometimes it’s a sign of neglect; sometimes it’s intentional. Regardless the reason, the effect is memorable: a living organism, working from the foundation to the roofline, slowly covering and swallowing up an entire side of a home till only the vine is visible and not what’s beneath. Biomedical engineering and pharmacy students at Cedarville are attempting to replicate that effect on a microscopic level, but for a different purpose — to restore missing bone in individuals who have suffered a traumatic injury. During the 2016–2017 academic year, Tim Norman, Distinguished Professor of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, and Rocco Rotello, Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, began cutting-edge research with 3D-printed scaffolds that could support cell life. The scaffolds are made of polylactic acid, a type of plastic very similar to that used in children’s construction toys. Thought of a different way, the scaffolds are like tiny plastic trellises, but instead of vines or roses growing on them, microscopic cells cling to them, dividing and multiplying, and eventually producing living tissue. But the outcome would be the same as a trellis — the cells would cover the entire scaffold, like a vine covering a trellis, so that only new living tissue would be visible. But different than a trellis on the side of your home, which remains till the homeowner removes it, this “trellis” will biodegrade over time, leaving only tissue. Voila! The scaffold disappears; new bone remains. RESTORATIVE OUTCOME Although Norman and Rotello’s research is not for application yet, the final outcome could help people who’ve experienced a severe physical impact and lost bone. Think of a veteran who lost part of a leg bone from an explosive device. “You’re inserting a piece of material into a vertebra or a bone in your hip and providing an environment for the cells that are naturally in the person to invade it,” noted Rotello. “This will replace the gap or the vacancy with tissue of the same strength and quality as the person was born with.” Cedarville Magazine | 3