Artificial bone scaffold combines stem cells and plastic to heal broken bones
February 11, 2013
To improve bone healing, researchers at Edinburgh and Southampton universities have used a honeycomb scaffold structure, which allows blood to flow through it, enabling stem cells from the patient’s bone marrow to attach to the material and grow new bone.
Over time, the plastic slowly degrades as the implant is replaced by newly grown bone.
The researchers used a pioneering technique to blend and test hundreds of combinations of plastics to find the perfect blend of materials that was robust, lightweight, and able to support bone stem cells.
After getting successful results in the lab and in animal testing, the research is now moving towards human clinical evaluation.
“We are confident that this material could soon be helping to improve the quality of life for patients with severe bone injuries, and will help maintain the health of an aging population,” said Professor Mark Bradley of the University of Edinburgh’s School of Chemistry.
The study was funded by the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.