A refined nanocluster coating (called "flower-bouquet" clusters) could make the bond between titanium implants and bone much stronger. Georgia Tech researchers, some of which conducted similar research two years ago, coated titanium with high-density polymer strands that were modified to create self-assembled clusters of fibronectin. According to Georgia Tech, this research is the first of which demonstrates biomaterials with biological sequences that are clustered together at the nanoscale to enhance cell-adhesion signals. The signals facilitate high levels of bone cell differentiation in human stem cells and promote better implant attachment to bone. 

Researchers evaluated the coated titanium's performance by drilling two millimeter circular holes into the tibia bone of a rat. Then they pressed titanium cylinders into the holes and tested various configurations of the engineered fibronectin protein. After four weeks, there was a 50% improvement in the bone and the implants that were coated with three- or five-strand clusters versus the implants that were coated with single strands of the protein. 

The study has been reported in the August 18 issue of Science Translational Medicine. 

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