| abstract |
A biodegradable device for facilitating healing of structural voids in bone comprises:- (a) a biodegradable polymer constituting the basic structure (e.g. polylactic or polyglycolic acid), (b) a chemotactic substance disposed throughout spaces in the biodegradable polymer (e.g. hyalmonic acid, fibronectin or collagen) and (c) a biologically active or therapeutic substance (e.g. bone morphogenetic protein or bone derived growth factor). The device constituents are integrated into a single body member which, when implanted into a bone defect, has the capacity to restore functional architecture and mechanical integrity, initiate osteoinduction and osteogenesis, and maintain the biological processes of bone formation and remodeling while the host organism is simultaneously biodegrading the body member. <IMAGE> |