PEEK FUNCTIONALIZATION WITH BIOACTIVE PEPTIDES FOR BONE TISSUE ENGINEERING

Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is a thermoplastic polymer that has been recently employed for bone tissue engineering, thanks to its mechanical properties close to human bones, as well as to its biocompatibility. However, PEEK is a bio-inert material, that is, once implanted, it does not interact with the receiver's tissues, causing difficulties in the process of implant integration. To overcome this issue, in this work PEEK was functionalized with several bioactive peptide sequences. Peptides were anchored to the polymer surface through covalent bonds through oxime chemistry. The presence of bioactive sequences on PEEK surface will allow the design of a "smart" implant able to promote proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts, hence the formation of new bone tissue in close contact with the implant.