Name of the Beneficiary: Nano Prime Sp. z o.o.

Value of the project: 11 659 025,90 zł

Amount of funding: 6 995 415,54 zł

Nano Prime Sp. z o. o. has received EU funding for the project entitled “Development of technology and launch of production of innovative dental implants with enhanced osteoinductive properties.” The aim of this project is to develop technology for the manufacture of innovative dental implants. One might think that there is nothing more that can be done in the field of surface modification of titanium dental implants. However, there persists the issue of an insufficient osseointegration of implants into the bone or their rejection by the organism, particularly after years of implantation. Our company has decided to develop an innovative way of modifying the surface of implants and build a prototype facility for their production. Within the framework of the project, we focus on the key stages of implant treatment, such as surface pre-treatment (mechanical treatment processes, polishing, etching) and, most of all, on the final treatment – the process of plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO). With the pre-treatment, we achieve an adequate development of the surface of dental implants, while in the PEO process, we produce a ceramic oxide layer to obtain excellent adhesion to the titanium substrate. More importantly, the PEO process enriches the oxide layer with electrolyte components. Therefore, the chemical composition of the electrolyte is designed in such a way that the dental implants have an oxide layer on their surface containing calcium and phosphorus in the correct atomic ratio. Thus modified, the implant surface strongly induces the crystallisation of hydroxyapatite (a mineral component of bone) and also contributes to an increase in the proliferation rate of osteoblastic cells. As a result, the developed implant grows into the bone tissue faster and at the same time can be loaded faster. Evidence is currently being collected to allow the implants to be certified and CE-marked. The main subcontractor supporting Nano Prime in the implementation of the project is the Faculty of Chemistry of the Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice.