# Biomimetic, Mussel-inspired, Bioactive Bone Graft Substitute for Spinal Fusion

> **NIH NIH F30** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $51,036

## Abstract

Project Summary
Low back pain is the worldwide leading cause of disability, affecting more than half a billion people and increasing
in prevalence alongside a growing and ageing population. Spinal fusion surgery, which immobilizes adjacent
vertebrae, can effectively relieve low back pain and disability. Over 400,000 Americans annually undergo spinal
fusion surgeries, at an aggregate hospital cost of around $13 billion, the highest of any surgical procedure.
However, pseudo-arthrosis, or failed fusion, occurs in up to 40% of these procedures, even when the “gold-
standard” treatment of grafting bone from the patient’s own iliac crest is used. We believe tissue engineering,
which involves a combination of engineered scaffolds, growth factors, and/or cells to orchestrate new tissue
formation, can solve the problem of pseudo-arthrosis. At present, the Infuse Bone Graft is the only tissue
engineered product involving a growth factor that is FDA-approved for spinal fusion, though with significant
design limitations: (1) non-controlled, supraphysiologic burst release of growth factors, (2) poor vascular
induction, and (3) bio-disparate design; all of which limit new bone formation. Herein, we propose the
development of a novel bone graft substitute specifically designed to overcome these limitations. The central
hypothesis of this project is that a biomimetic, mussel-inspired, bioactive bone graft substitute can be engineered
to provide controllable early and sustained release of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet
derived growth factor (PDGF), leading to superior fusion outcomes compared to the current gold standard and
the Infuse Bone Graft in a preclinical animal model. In Aim 1, we will develop and optimize this material for
maximal vascular ingrowth and bone formation in vitro, and in Aim 2 we will evaluate our material’s efficacy in a
preclinical rabbit model of posterolateral lumbar spinal fusion in direct comparison to the current gold standard
and the Infuse Bone Graft. We expect that our engineered graft will lead to superior fusion outcomes. Our
research may inform the development of future materials and/or support clinical trials aimed at solving the
problem of pseudo-arthrosis in spinal fusion.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10158414
- **Project number:** 5F30AG063445-03
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Ethan Joseph Cottrill
- **Activity code:** F30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $51,036
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-05-01 → 2022-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10158414

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10158414, Biomimetic, Mussel-inspired, Bioactive Bone Graft Substitute for Spinal Fusion (5F30AG063445-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10158414. Licensed CC0.

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