Nanofabrication of cell-instructive and bactericidal surfaces for bone implants

Recurrent bacterial infection is one of the main reasons of implant failure, hugely impacting the patients’ quality of life, and ultimately resulting in morbidity and even mortality. This type of infection starts with the attachment of the bacteria to the implant surface, leading to biofilm formation and, thus, high resistance against antibacterial agents. To date, numerous strategies have been proposed to prevent biofilm formation and implant-associated infections. It has been revealed that physical surface patterns with specific dimensions and mechanical properties may have the potential to kill implant associated bacteria through a mechanical mechanism, while regulating stem cell differentiation. Therefore, the aim of this research was to advance the development of the nanofabrication methods for generation of patterns with controlled geometrical and mechanical characteristics, and assess their potential for achieving a dual surface biofunctionality for bone implants, namely osteogenic and bactericidal effects. The focus was on submicron to nanoscale patterns generated on 2D and 3D surfaces...