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Secret ingredient: nanoparticles aid bone growth
Nanotube-reinforced material produces denser bone tissue In the first study of its kind, bioengineers and bioscientists at Rice University and Radboud University in Nijmegen, Netherlands, have shown they can grow denser bone tissue by sprinkling stick-like nanoparticles throughout the porous material used to pattern the bone.
The research is available online and slated to appear in the journal
Bone. It's the latest breakthrough from the burgeoning field of tissue
engineering. The new discipline combines the latest research in
materials science and biomedical engineering to produce tissues that
can be transplanted without risk of rejection.
To grow new bone, tissue engineers typically place bone cells on
porous, biodegradable materials called scaffolds, which act as
patterns. With the right chemical and physical cues, the cells can be
coaxed into producing new bone. As the scaffold degrades, it is
replaced by new bone.
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