The regenerative implant engineered by a team of researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Lincoln, University of Nebraska could help repair deep damage in the bones related to surgery, trauma, or osteoporosis. The power of the regenerative implant however is far to rival that of Wolverine.
Meanwhile, the team has developed a nanofiber-based biodegradable implant. The design of this implant could better regenerate bone by effectively directing the migration of recuperative cells to the site of injury.
For clinical trials, when implanted in rats with bone defects, it catalyzed the regeneration of bone that was denser, higher in volume, and more like the surrounding tissue. The difference lies in achieving this than several other state-of-the-art designs.
Furthermore, the implant facilitated regeneration even without externally sourced stem cells, which helps promote healing but, at the same time can also introduce side effects and regulatory complications. The side effects can range from inflammation to unrestricted tissue formation.
In fact, so far, there hasn’t been any scaffold that can work better than this, stated a faculty at University of Nebraska Medical Center.
The structure of the implant is key. The structure is based on a recent engineering breakthrough. The engineering marvel has transformed a promising but limited 2D approach into a 3D wonder.
Prior to this, several labs were developing 2D implants composed of nanofibers that were aligned to create pores. Conceptually, in ideal situations, bone marrow stem cells would infiltrate the pores and eventually create tissues with an architecture similar to the original, adjacent bone.
However, engineers often struggled to create pores or organized sufficiently for cells to consistently pass through, and then form tendrils of tissue that make bones.
