Fabrication of polycaprolactone-silanated β-tricalcium phosphate-heparan sulfate scaffolds for spinal fusion applications

Interbody spinal fusion relies on the use of external fixation and the placement of a fusion cage filled with graft materials (scaffolds) without regard for their mechanical performance. Stability at the fusion site is instead reliant on fixation hardware combined with a selected cage. Ideally, scaffolds placed into the cage should both support the formation of new bone and contribute to the mechanical stability at the fusion site.We recently...