# Biomimetic and Injectable Highly Porous Nanofiber Microsphere-based Platform for Alveolar Bone Regeneration

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER · 2022 · $470,967

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Alveolar bone is a critical tissue for tooth and dental implant retention. Increasing alveolar bone mass in
patients who lose this tissue as a result of periodontal disease or trauma is crucial for successful dental implant
therapy (e.g., loss of bone around a tooth extraction site prior to implant placement). Currently, bone grafts
(e.g., iliac or mandibular bone) or artificial bone grafts are commonly used for alveolar bone regeneration
therapy. However, most of these therapies require extensive surgical procedures, which present risks of many
complications, particularly in aged patients. Therefore, the development of new alveolar bone regeneration
techniques that do not require surgical procedures is urgently needed. Herein, in this proposed study, we aim
to develop an injectable and biomimetic highly porous nanofiber microsphere-based therapy for healing critical-
sized alveolar bone defects. We recently developed an exciting approach for the fabrication of biomimetic
nanofiber microspheres consisting of short electrospun nanofiber segments without limitation to certain
compositions. Cells can attach and proliferate on the surface of such nanofiber microspheres. Working with Dr.
Reinhardt (Co-I), we also demonstrated that mineralized short nanofibers incorporated with E7-BMP-2
peptides showed promise for healing a critical-sized socket defect model created in rat maxillae, following
extraction of the first molar teeth. In addition, our most recent study revealed that BMP-2/QK peptides
conjugated nanofiber microspheres can significantly enhance osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow
mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and tubular network formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells
(HUVECs). Based on these findings, it is hypothesized that the injectable highly porous nanofiber
microspheres in combination with biomimetic delivery of signaling molecules and/or incorporation of BMSCs
could greatly promote alveolar bone regeneration after minimally invasive administration to critical-sized
alveolar bone defects in rats. To test the hypothesis and accomplish the primary objective, our strategy is
three-fold: i) Demonstrate the fabrication of porous nanofiber microspheres with controlled composition,
structure, and coupling of signaling molecules; ii) Examine the effect of engineered porous nanofiber
microspheres with biomimetic delivery of signaling molecules on cellular response; and iii) Determine the bone
regenerative capacity of injectable porous nanofiber microspheres in combination with biomimetic delivery of
signaling molecules and/or BMSCs for healing alveolar bone defects in rats. We expect to identify the critical
factors of biomimetic and injectable highly porous nanofiber microsphere-based therapy that contribute to
alveolar bone regeneration. Also, we expect successful completion of these aims to lay the foundation for
developing injectable bone grafts that could greatly accelerate healing of alveolar bone defects...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10519836
- **Project number:** 1R01DE031272-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Jingwei Xie
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $470,967
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-06-08 → 2027-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10519836

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10519836, Biomimetic and Injectable Highly Porous Nanofiber Microsphere-based Platform for Alveolar Bone Regeneration (1R01DE031272-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10519836. Licensed CC0.

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