Biomerix Biomaterial™ Benefits
Biomerix Biomaterial and its Role in the Healing Process
The Biomerix Biomaterial is designed to play a role similar to the body’s extracellular matrix (ECM), enabling the healing process through the main phases of inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling. Its function can be important in repair of acute or chronic injuries and defects, where the body is incapable of producing an adequate healing response. These undesirable repairs can be attributed to a suboptimal filling of a tissue defect (resulting in structural deformities), and compromised function and quality of the tissue. The Biomerix Biomaterial technology addresses these major deficiencies by facilitating a high-quality repair, throughout the healing cascade.
The Biomerix Biomaterial’s unique scaffold design has been demonstrated to support robust biointegration in a wide range of preclinical model systems.
Benefits of Biointegration
- Minimal inflammatory response
- Robust cellular infiltration and angiogenesis
- Supports development of fibrovascular extracellular matrix
- No fibrous encapsulation
- Properties of the repair maintained over the entire healing period
The novel combination of desirable scaffold features and proven repair outcomes makes the Biomerix Biomaterial a compelling alternative to other synthetic biomaterials.
Inflammatory Phase
The Biomerix Biomaterial’s macroporous, permeable architecture allows blood plasma and ECM proteins to enter the scaffold, post implantation. A subset of these proteins adsorb on to the Biomaterial’s surface, creating an environment for platelets, neutrophils, monocytes and other essential inflammatory cells to adhere. Recruitment of these various cell types is critical to mediate the acute inflammatory response and release an array of growth factors and cytokines (PDGF, VEGF, bFGF, TGF-β, Interleukins, etc.) integral to the healing process.
Early Inflammatory Phase: 2–4 weeks
- Minimal inflammatory cells—reducing degree of acute inflammation
- Minimal foreign body giant cell response
- Evidence of early collagen synthesis
- Suggests early fibroblast activity
Proliferation Phase
The Biomerix Biomaterial™ functions as a “mediator,” during the proliferation phase and elicits cellular activity and production of the ECM. Specifically, it maintains the three-dimensional organization of cells drawn into the scaffold, early in the healing process. The resulting cellular supports cell-to-matrix and cell-to-cell interactions, both critical factors necessary to initiate and maintain healthy cellular proliferation and ECM production. Additionally, the scaffold provides biomechanical support to the nascent ECM ensuring a stable repair environment. The ability of the Biomerix Biomaterial to guide and maintain three-dimensional cellular morphology is a distinctive advantage over other two-dimensional biomaterial scaffolds.
Proliferative Phase: ~8 Weeks
- Significant angiogenesis and cellular activity
- Supports synthesis of collagen, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and elastin
- Minimal multinucleate giant cells and inflammatory response
Remodeling Phase
In the last stage of wound healing, the newly synthesized and maturing extracellular matrix begins to take over and remodel. Collagen fibers begin to rearrange by aligning and cross-linking along tension lines to remodel into healthy tissues. The Biomerix Biomaterial works in concert with this collagen structure to form a reinforced matrix capable of sustaining site specific biomechanical forces. The healing process continues until host tissue is thoroughly biointegrated into the interconnected pores of the Biomerix Biomaterial scaffold.
Remodeling Phase: ~16 Weeks
- Complete biointegration into the Biomerix Biomaterial—a three-fold increase in total connective tissue volume relative to early healing phase
- Limited encapsulation or fibrotic scarring due to three-dimensional, interconnected pore structure vs. two-dimensional structure common to other biomaterial scaffolds
- Stabilization of chronic inflammation and macrophage activity—compared to other synthetics
- Angiogenesis complete—well-developed capillary bed formed with a two-fold increase in number of blood vessels relative to early healing phase
