Osteomyelitis: Osteomyelitis is a common bone infection caused by bacteria or, in some cases, fungi [1]. Osteomyelitis generally occurs through infection with bacteria in several ways, including through the bloodstream, from areas close to the infection, or due to non-sterile joint replacements and internal fixations such as fractures [2]. In 90% of cases, the bacterium S. aereus is the microbial cause of osteomyelitis [3]. In cases of open fractures, osteomyelitis can interfere with normal bone healing and regeneration [4]. Symptoms of osteomyelitis include bone pain, fever, malaise, swelling, redness, chills, excessive sweating, and joint pain [5]. It has been reported that in 20% of cases the infection is hematogenous or spreads through the blood [6]. In 2001, the incidence of spinal osteomyelitis was 1 in 450,000 [7]. The incidence of vertebral osteomyelitis is 24 cases per 1,000,000 and the incidence in children is approximately 1 in 5,000 [8]. Approximately 10–15% of people with vertebral osteomyelitis develop spinal cord compression, and approximately 30% of patients with long bone osteomyelitis develop deep vein thrombosis (DVT) [9]. Mortality rates are generally low unless sepsis occurs [10]. The overall incidence of osteomyelitis was found to be higher in developing countries than in developed nations [11]. Current clinical standard of care: The current gold standard treatment for osteomyelitis is polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) beads impregnated with gentamicin or vancomycin [12]. These spheres are surgically implanted at the site of the bacterial infection and the antibiotic diffuses from these spheres [12]. Both vancomycin and gentamicin inhibit bacterial g... middle of paper..., in vivo studies demonstrate that the efficacy of the delivery system in terms of bacterial growth inhibition is comparable to the clinical standard of care, the PMMA spheres. Further studies would include determining the compressive strength of PUR scaffolds to decide where they might be placed in a load-bearing environment, systemic toxicity studies to ensure that neither vancomycin nor PUR are present in high toxic concentrations in serum after implantation, and a prolonged study to demonstrate that the PUR scaffold is indeed biodegradable, thus avoiding the second surgical phase required for PMMA beads. Li et al [21] also did not conduct comparison studies between PUR-LTI and PUR-HDIt scaffolds under the same experimental conditions. These studies would also be critical in determining which scaffold formulation should be pursued long-term.