Release date: 2010-10-29 Source: Biopass JIANGMEN EASY TECHNOLOGY CO.,LTD , https://www.easylife-tech.com
For plastic surgeons to repair complex fractures or large bone loss caused by trauma and cancer, the acquisition of bone tissue grafts is a very large obstacle, usually resulting in a high failure rate of 50%. Today's synthetic replacements rarely have the bone-like properties necessary for grafts and are not suitable for surgeons to perform surgical procedures. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School recently developed an easy-to-manufacture, inexpensive artificial bone material called FlexBone.
Based on a previously developed material, a mixture of nanocrystalline collagen-based bone repair materials and hydrogels, Jie Song, associate professor of plastic surgery, physical rehabilitation and cell biology at Ma Da Medical College, and his students and A team of plastic surgeons has created a new bone replacement.
“Functional advanced artificial materials should not be too complicated to manufacture,†Dr. Song said. “We hope to create a cheap, off-the-shelf product that will allow doctors to operate in the operating room to fill large bone defects and promote Tissue Repair.†The research paper, published online in Tissue Engineering Part A, describes the effectiveness of FlexBone as an artificial bone replacement in repairing large bone defects in animal models.
For large complex bone defects caused by trauma or tumor removal, stabilization with conventional metal plates and other internal and external fixation devices is not sufficient to promote bone injury healing. In many cases, the surgeon turns to bone tissue from other donors to fill the bone defect through bone tissue transplantation. However, complications caused by infection and immune rejection caused by incompatibility of donor tissues result in 50% of treatment failures. Artificial replacements cannot be practically utilized due to the lack of necessary bone-like properties.
David Ayers, director of plastic surgery and professor of plastic surgery and physical rehabilitation, said: "FlexBone contains bone mineral inclusions close to human bones, making FlexBone materials elastic and capable of cutting and shaping before surgery or surgery. Extrusion into bone defects. Combined with traditional fixation techniques, FlexBone materials provide an ideal stent for new bone growth."
In addition, surgeons can drill holes in FlexBone materials to allow bone marrow in adjacent bone tissue to migrate and penetrate. This will help attract progenitor cells that play a key role in the formation of new bone.
In addition to its physical properties, FlexBone is an ideal material for accelerated recovery. “The reason why FlexBone is the ideal material for large bone defect treatments is because it also absorbs and retains proteins associated with natural healing from surrounding tissues, which will help accelerate healing,†Song said. It can also load therapeutic agents such as protein factors and antibiotics to accelerate healing and inhibit infection."
"Our research confirms that in combination with FlexBone, a currently used protein growth factor dose can be reduced by a factor of 100, promoting the healing of large long bone defects that cannot heal for a short period of time," Song said. "This material has many The potential can solve the major problems that plastic surgeons face in the reconstruction of bone defects."
"It releases growth factors and antibiotics into patients and simplifies the surgical procedure," Dr. Ayers said.
Song Jie and Ayers intend to further test FlexBone safety and effectiveness in large animals, paving the way for future clinical trials.