Researchers Develop Process for Growing Bone

To restore form and function to deficient bone architecture, researchers are injecting a nonviral gene into the body to induce cells to grow bone.

The NTF gene is injected by a synthetic hydrogel made from a hyaluronic acid-based polymer. The immune rejection that usually accompanies non-self grafts is avoided because the hydrogel/NTF gene is non-immunogenic. The first clinical trials will involve growing bone in the jaw, which is involved in about 10% of all vehicle accidents. The research team, from the Bone Tissue Engineering Center at Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA, USA), also plans to use the regeneration process to treat osteoporotic fractures in spine, pelvis, and thigh bone.

"After blood, bone is the most frequently transplanted tissue. Current therapies for bone grafting fall short of the mark. The Bone Tissue Engineering Center is developing exciting new bone therapeutics that will offer surgeons and their patients much better options,” said Jeffrey Hollinger, who leads the research team. The team will receive US$1.12 million over the next four years from the US National Institutes of Health to further develop their therapy for regenerating bone.




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