Scaffold for tissue regeneration in mammals

1. A three-dimensional scaffold with interconnected pores for repair of tissue comprising:

a scaffold body for structural support of the tissue scaffold comprising:

scaffold body components bonded to each other to define the scaffold body and provide a scaffold body compressive strength of greater than 5 MPa, wherein the scaffold body components are components in the form of fibers in combination with one or more components in the form of ribbons, solid spheres, hollow spheres, and particles, and the components are of a component material comprising, by approximate weight %:

B 2 O 3

40 to 90 

Na 2 O

0 to 25

Li 2 O

0 to 25

K 2 O

0 to 25

Rb 2 O

0 to 25

CaO

0 to 40

MgO

0 to 25

SrO

0 to 40

BaO

0 to 50

P 2 O 5

0 to 10

SiO 2

0 to 18

Al 2 O 3

0 to 3 

F

0 to 4 

transition metal elements

0 to 10

cumulative

wherein two or more of Li 2 O, Na 2 O, K 2 O, and Rb 2 O are present in a cumulative concentration between about 1 and about 50 wt %,

wherein two or more of MgO, SrO, BaO, and CaO are present in a cumulative concentration between about 1 and about 50 wt %,

wherein the scaffold body has a porosity between about 15 and about 90 vol %.

2. The scaffold of claim 1 wherein the B 2 O 3 concentration is between about 50 and about 90 wt %.

3. The scaffold of claim 1 wherein the B 2 O 3 concentration is between about 60 and about 82 wt %.

4. The scaffold of claim 1 wherein:

the B 2 O 3 concentration is between 50 and 90 wt %;

the component material comprises two or more oxides from among Li2O, Na 2 O, K 2 O, and Rb 2 O in a cumulative concentration between 5 and 25 wt % and two or more oxides from among MgO, SrO, BaO, and CaO in a cumulative concentration between 1 and 45 wt %; and

less than 5 wt % of the component material is crystalline material.

5. The scaffold of claim 1 wherein the scaffold body components contain MgO in a concentration is between about 1 and 25 wt %.

6. The scaffold of claim 1 wherein the scaffold body components contain K 2 O in a concentration is between about 1 and 25 wt % and MgO in a concentration is between about 1 and 25 wt %.

7. The scaffold of claim 1 wherein the component material comprises two or more oxides from among Li 2 O, Na 2 O, K 2 O, and Rb 2 O in a cumulative concentration between 5 and 25 wt %.

8. The scaffold of claim 1 wherein the component material comprises two or more oxides from among Li 2 O, Na 2 O, K 2 O, and Rb 2 O in a cumulative concentration between 5 and 25 wt % and two or more oxides from among MgO, SrO, BaO, and CaO in a cumulative concentration between 1 and 45 wt %.

9. The scaffold of claim 1 wherein the component material further comprises one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn, Si, Sr, Ni, Mo, and Se, in an amount between about 0.01 and 10 wt % per element and cumulatively less than 25 wt %.

10. The scaffold of claim 1 wherein the component material further comprises between about 0.01 and 10 wt % Cu as copper oxide.

11. A three-dimensional scaffold with interconnected pores for repair of tissue comprising:

a scaffold body for structural support of the tissue scaffold comprising:

scaffold body components bonded to each other to define the scaffold body and provide a scaffold body compressive strength of greater than 0.4 MPa, wherein the scaffold body components are of a component material comprising, by approximate weight %:

B 2 O 3

40 to 90 

Na 2 O

0 to 25

Li 2 O

0 to 25

K 2 O

0 to 25

Rb 2 O

0 to 25

CaO

0 to 40

MgO

0 to 25

SrO

0 to 40

BaO

0 to 50

P 2 O 5

0 to 10

SiO 2

0 to 18

Al 2 O 3

0 to 3 

F

0 to 4 

transition metal elements

0 to 10

cumulative

wherein two or more of Li 2 O, Na 2 O, K 2 O, and Rb 2 O are present in a cumulative concentration between about 1 and about 50 wt %, 0

wherein two or more of MgO, SrO, BaO, and CaO are present in a cumulative concentration between about 1 and about 50 wt %,

wherein the scaffold body has a porosity between about 15 and about 90 vol %, and

wherein at least 10 wt % of the scaffold body components have a first composition and at least 10 wt % of the scaffold body components have a second composition, wherein the first and second compositions are distinct from each other.

12. The scaffold of claim 1 wherein less than 5 wt % of the component material is crystalline material.

13. The scaffold of claim 1 wherein the component material, upon exposure to natural or simulated physiological phosphorus-containing fluids, does not react to form a crystalline or amorphous calcium phosphate.

14. The scaffold of claim 1 wherein the body components comprise the glass fibers and the particles.

15. The scaffold of claim 1 wherein the scaffold body consists essentially of the glass fibers and the one or more components in the form of ribbons, solid spheres, hollow spheres, and particles.

16. The scaffold of claim 1 wherein the scaffold body components consist essentially of 40 to 90 wt % B 2 O 3 , 1 to 25 wt % Na 2 O, 1 to 25% K 2 O, 1 to 40 wt % CaO, 1 to 25 wt % MgO, and 1 to 10 wt % P 2 O 5 .

17. The scaffold of claim 1 wherein the scaffold body components consist essentially of 40 to 90 wt % B 2 O 3 , 1 to 25 wt % Li 2 O, and 1 to 40 wt % CaO.

18. The scaffold of claim 1 wherein the scaffold body components consist essentially of 40 to 90 wt % B 2 O 3 , 1 to 25 wt % Na 2 O, and 1 to 40 wt % CaO.

19. The scaffold of claim 1 wherein the scaffold body components consist essentially of 40 to 90 wt % B 2 O 3 , 0.1 to 5% CuO, 1 to 25 wt % Na 2 O, 1 to 25 wt % K 2 O, 1 to 25 wt % MgO, and 1 to 10 wt % P 2 O 5 .

20. The scaffold of claim 1 wherein the scaffold body components consist essentially of the fibers and the particles.

21. The scaffold of claim 1 wherein the scaffold body components comprise the fibers and the solid spheres.

22. The scaffold of claim 1 wherein the compressive strength of the scaffold body is greater than 5 MPa and no more than 200 MPa.

23. The scaffold of claim 22 wherein the compressive strength of the scaffold body is between 20 and 200 MPa.