Each year, approximately 2.2 million bone-grafting surgeries occur globally, with the best practice being autografting, which utilizes the patient’s own bone for dental implants and the repair or reconstruction of the mouth, face, and skull.
Each year, approximately 2.2 million bone-grafting surgeries occur globally, with the best practice being autografting, which utilizes the patient’s own bone for dental implants and the repair or reconstruction of the mouth, face, and skull.
Due to the disadvantages of autografting, including the necessity for further surgery, extended recovery times, the risk of complications, and the need for larger amounts of bone, a group of researchers from the University of Michigan School of Dentistry is making strides in developing a superior lab-made bone graft.
Having previously developed a method for creating bone scaffolds featuring collagen-like nanostructures, micrometer-sized pores, and natural forms, the researchers have achieved an “exciting improvement” that enhances bone regeneration by optimizing cell-matrix interactions, according to Peter Ma, a dentistry professor.
This new finding, which is particularly advantageous for patients needing larger bone repairs, originated from collaboration between the Ma Lab and Franceschi Lab. The team has applied for U.S. and international patents for peptide-infused copolymers, nanofibers, and 3D scaffolds that are implantable and injectable for bone and other tissue regeneration, offering numerous benefits.
“Having a predictable source of materials for bone regeneration leads to much more consistent results,” Ma explained. “Crucially, we can regenerate tissues without using exogenous cells, which could complicate treatments by provoking an immune response. The remarkable result is that our method can regenerate nearly eight times more bone compared to scaffolds lacking the specialized peptides on nanofibers.”
Out of the over 2 million bone grafting procedures worldwide, around 500,000 are conducted in the United States, totaling about $5 billion in expenses, researchers report.
In addition to autografting, the new grafting technique could replace other methods such as allografting, which relies on donor tissue, and xenografting, which uses tissue from animals. These alternatives often carry risks, including infection and supply shortages.
Ma and his team, who elaborated on the science behind this innovative technique in a study published in Bioactive Materials, highlight numerous advantages of the new method.
“We have created biodegradable polymer templates containing peptides on nanofibers, which facilitate the unlocking of the bone regeneration potential from the recipient’s own cells. After the creation of pre-designed 3D bone structures, the materials will naturally break down and vanish without causing long-term issues,” said Ma, who is also associated with the U-M College of Engineering and Medical School.
“We are thrilled about the breakthroughs we’ve achieved and believe our invention has the potential to revolutionize bone grafting for the millions in need.”
