Radio Shows | Biosynthetic Bone | mp3 … wma … wav

Did you know I’ve broken my collarbone once and my nose a couple of times?

With a nose like yours - no wonder.

Ha look who thinks he’s a comedian. But seriously, how broken bones heal is remarkable.

It’s quite complex and yet when it’s all done, the bone returns to its former shape and strength.

But that doesn’t always happen. If your bones shatter or break in such a way that you need to fill a gap then bone grafting is necessary.

That’s done by taking a bone from another part of the body or using bones from a donor.

The problem is there’s a small chance of infection and the grafted bone may have differing strength properties from the original. It may also lack the appropriate cells and proteins to spur new bone growth.

A recent development may get around bone grafting all together.

It’s a synthetic biomaterial that’s inserted in the gaps. It’s coated in polymers to attract the appropriate proteins and hormones for early bone healing.

That’s important because a lot happens right after you break a bone. Blood vessels are severed and the blood that leaks out rapidly forms a clot called a fracture hematoma. This clot helps to stabilize and align the broken ends.

Immune cells remove dead tissues, then tiny new blood vessels grow to supply the injured area. Soon the clot becomes a tougher structure called the soft callus.

The new biomaterial is now being tested for its effectiveness in the later stages of bone healing. Here, building cells called osteoclasts transform the soft callus into a hard shelled bone callus.

Finally, in a build and break down cycle, Osteoclasts and osteoblasts remodel the bone replacing the callus with compact bone. If the new material works in this later stage, it’ll move into human trials with the prospect of getting people up and going, sooner.

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