HomeNovel method for accelerated bone growth developed
Submitted by Mohit Joshi on Sat, 01/31/2009 - 10:52. Featured Science
News United States
Washington, Jan 31 : Using nanotubes and stem cells, engineers at the
University of California at San Diego have developed a new method to
help accelerate bone growth.
The finding could lead to quicker and better recovery, for example,
for patients who undergo orthopedic surgery.
In the study, the group of UC San Diego bioengineers and material
science experts used a nano-bio technology method of placing
mesenchymal stem cells on top of very thin titanium oxide nanotubes
in order to control the conversion paths, called differentiation,
into osteoblasts or bone building cells.
Mesenchymal stem cells, which are different from embryonic stem
cells, can be extracted and directly supplied from a patient''s own
bone marrow.
"If you break your knee or leg from skiing, for example, an
orthopedic surgeon will implant a titanium rod, and you will be on
crutches for about three months," said Sungho Jin, co-author of the
PNAS paper and a materials science professor at the Jacobs School of
Engineering.
Jin added: "But what we anticipate through our research is that if
the surgeon uses titanium oxide nanotubes with stem cells, the bone
healing could be accelerated and a patient may be able to walk in one
month instead of being on crunches for three months.
"Our in-vitro and in-vivo data indicate that such advantages can
occur by using the titanium oxide nanotube treated implants, which
can reduce the loosening of bones, one of the major orthopedic
problems that necessitate re-surgery operations for hip and other
implants for patients.
"Such a major re-surgery, especially for older people, is a health
risk and significant inconvenience, and is also undesirable from the
cost point of view."
This is the first study of its kind using stem cells attached to
titanium oxide nanotube implants.
The researchers said that the precise change in nanotube diameter
could be controlled to induce selective differentiation of stem cells
into osteoblast (bone-forming) cells.
According to this breakthrough research, nanotubes with a larger
diameter cause cells growing on their surface to elongate much more
than those with a small diameter. The larger diameter nanotube
promotes quicker and stronger bone growth.
Scientists said that introducing chemicals into the human body can
sometimes have undesirable side effects.
"What we have accomplished here is a way to introduce desirable
guided differentiation using only nanostructures instead of resorting
to chemicals," said Seunghan
(Brian) Oh, who is the lead author of the study.
"Our research in this area has pointed to a novel way by which we can
modulate the stem cell differentiation, which is very important in
regenerative medicine. This will lead to a truly interdisciplinary
approach between engineering and medicine to getting novel treatments
to the clinic to benefit the patients," said one of the authors of
the study.
The findings of the study ''Stem Cell Fate Dictated Solely by Altered
Nanotube Dimension'' were published in the Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences
(PNAS). (ANI)
http://uk.reuters.
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StemCells subscribers may also be interested in these sites:
Children's Neurobiological Solutions
http://www.CNSfoundation.org/
Cord Blood Registry
http://www.CordBlood.com/at.cgi?a=150123
The CNS Healing Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CNS_Healing
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