Presentation given to Biomedical Engineering Society Conference meeting in Chicago, IL 10/2006 ABSTRACT Injectable Bi-Phasic Bone Cement For The Therapeutic Release Of Chemotherapeutic Agents. 4:30 M. Wettergreen1, R. Abbe2, K. Sun1, K. Hess3, L. Rhines2 And M. Liebschner1 1Rice University, Houston, TX; 2University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; 3MD Anderson Cancer Center, TX We have conducted an investigation into the development of a tailorable drug delivery method based on transport and diffusion from materials already approved for clinical usage in humans. In this study, we assessed the drug release from 2.5 wt% doxorubicin embedded in poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA) composite cements with varied surface areas and volume fractions (0.3, 0.45, 0.6) of the porous network. Drug release from the composites was measured over the course of 28 days followed by µCT scanning to determine volume fraction and interconnectivity. Hydraulic permeability and compressive strength of each composite was measured following scanning. Relationships between drug release, mechanical properties and the permeabililty of the composites were drawn through the combination of the power law relationship between modulus and volume fraction and an approximately squared relationship between permeability and volume fraction. Results demonstrated that there is a need for increased connectivity and surface area to improve drug release while preventing a loss in mechanical integrity in PMMA scaffolds. We hypothesize that the mechanical properties and the permeability of composite bone cements may be controlled through pore structure parameters of a particular composite, thereby allowing the drug release kinetics to be tailored without significant loss of mechanical integrity.

1. Injectable Bi-Phasic Bone Cement For The Therapeutic Release Of Chemotherapeutic Agents M. Wettergreen a , R. Abbe b , K. Sun a , K. Hess c , L. Rhines b M. Liebschner a a Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas , b Department of Neurosurgery, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas c Department of Biostatistics and Applied Mathematics, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas Biomedical Engineering Society Annual Meeting October 14, 2006

14. Acknowledgements CEBL Lab Members Brandon Bucklen Jeremy Lemoine Computational & Experimental Biomechanics Laboratory Dr. Michael Liebschner Funding NSF MD Anderson Clinical Collaborators R. Abbe K. Hess L. Rhines