Scott Guelcher, Ph.D.
More Information
Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering
Scott Guelcher is a Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Professor of Medicine, and the Director of the Center for Bone Biology at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. Prior to his appointment at Vanderbilt, he was a Senior Associate Scientist at Bayer Corporation and an NIH/NRSA Fellow in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. Professor Guelcher’s research focuses on the design and development of biomaterials and delivery systems that enhance healing of tissue damaged by trauma or disease. He collaborates with biomedical scientists and clinicians to design, develop, and scale-up new materials for bone and soft tissue regeneration from the bench to the bedside. He also studies how the bone/tumor microenvironment regulates the progression of tumor-induced bone disease and designs new tumor-targeted therapies to block establishment of tumors in bone. Dr. Guelcher is an author on over ninety publications and an inventor on twelve patents.
Research Information
My current research is in the design, synthesis, and characterization of polymeric biomaterials for bone tissue engineering. Although autologous bone graft (vital tissue transplanted from one site in the patient to another) has the best capacity to stimulate healing of tissue defects, explantation both introduces additional surgery pain and also risks donor-site morbidity. One promising alternative to autograft is synthetic biomaterials that are designed to enhance healing through the natural tissue remodeling process. Polyurethanes comprise a class of synthetic polymers that are of fundamental interest to us because their mechanical and biological properties can be tuned to targeted values by controlling the structure. New materials having targeted biological and mechanical properties are being developed for three orthopaedic clinical indications:
- Injectable polyurethane scaffolds for drug and gene delivery. Due to the increasing recognition of the need for healing therapeutics administered by minimally invasive surgical techniques, synthesis of injectable scaffolds for tissue repair is an important area of biomaterials research. Polyurethanes can be injected as a two-component reactive liquid mixture that cures in situ. Orthopaedic clinical indications for injectable therapeutics include distal radius fractures and treatment for problematic fracture healing. We have synthesized high porosity (>95%) two-component polyurethane foam scaffolds that support the attachment and proliferation of osteoprogenitor cellsin vitro and degrade at a controlled rate. We are applying this technology to develop biologically active injectable therapeutics that deliver growth factors and plasmids to enhance bone wound healing.
- Polyurethane scaffolds for ex vivo bone and ligament tissue engineering. We are collaborating with researchers at Virginia Tech to prepare engineered bone tissue ex vivo in a perfusion bioreactor by culturing bone marrow stromal cells in biodegradable segmented polyurethane scaffolds. We aim to direct osteoblastic maturation and synthesis of bioactive factors by controlling the mechanical properties of the scaffolds and using novel perfusion strategies. We envision using these materials as implants to stimulate bone healing in vivo.
- Biodegradable bone/polyurethane composite fracture fixation devices. Traditionally, bone fractures are treated by fracture reduction and subsequent fixation. There is a compelling clinical need for a resorbable biomaterial that has the appropriate biomechanical and biological properties for fracture reduction and fixation, eliminates the need for removal surgery, and integrates with host bone. We are collaborating with a leading allograft bone company to prepare resorbable allograft bone/polyurethane composite fracture fixation devices, such as plates, screws, and intramedullary rods, by reactive liquid molding processes.
