Bio-Absorbable Medical Implants Offer Better Way to Heal Bone Damage

Traditional methods for treating children's broken bones involve inserting metal implants, which can be challenging, distressing, and even detrimental to their growing bodies. This process requires subsequent removal after the bone has healed. Now, scientists may have discovered an improved approach for repairing bone damage.

Biomedical engineers at the University of Central Florida's College of Medicine and Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences (Orlando, FL, USA) are employing bioabsorbable magnesium composites to create medical implants like screws, pins, and rods that dissolve within the body, eliminating the need for removal. While conventional titanium bone implants are effective and long-standing, their insertion may hinder bone growth and necessitate a second procedure for removal, potentially causing psychological issues. During recovery, the body's weight is transferred to the metal rather than the bone, due to the strength of titanium implants. Magnesium, on the other hand, has mechanical properties resembling bone, already exists within the body, and fosters bone formation, making it an excellent choice.

As a material, magnesium is ideal for bone health and healing since it is as robust as metal, more flexible than ceramics, and less likely to be rejected, as it is a naturally occurring compound in the body. The magnesium composite used by the engineers also contains nanoparticles that are absorbed into the tissue as the implant dissolves, helping to regenerate new bone and accelerate the healing process. As the magnesium plates and screws dissolve over three to six months following surgery, patients' bodies can safely expel the natural product. The researchers have successfully implemented these implants in rat models, representing the initial phase of obtaining approval for human trials..

“What we do is called regenerative medicine, where we build bioactive materials that can repair tissue,” said UCF biomedical engineer Dr. Mehdi Razavi. “My research is always focused on bringing together advancements in material science and medicine. This research is focused on bone tissue that has been lost due to bone fractures, tumor removal and osteoporosis.”

“If you have an implantable metal that is naturally absorbed and does not have to be removed during a second surgery, that has tremendous benefits in terms of eliminating the stress of additional surgeries on patients and containing healthcare costs,” added Nemours Children’s Health’s Dr. Zach Stinson, a pediatric orthopedic and sports medicine surgeon who also contributed to the research.

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