Researchers in Aberdeen have been awarded £210,000 to help a top international team develop “intelligent” implants that could help diseased and damaged bones to repair themselves.
The University of Aberdeen is collaborating with 7 other institutes from across Europe on the leading project which could eventually benefit the sufferers of bones diseases such as osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, as well as people with damaged or broken bones.
The scientists are trying to develop a device, using synthetic materials as close as possible to the composition of bone, which could be used inside the human body to help regenerate and replace diseased or damaged bone.
The Aberdeen researchers - Dr Iain Gibson and Professor Colin McCaig - are trying to establish whether applying small electrical fields through these electronically conducting implants will encourage bone cells to move and stimulate new bone growth.
The project is applying groundbreaking nanotechnology - an area of science and engineering devoted to the design and production of extremely small electronic devices and circuits built from individual atoms and molecules. The implant materials being used incorporate nanoparticles which are 1/1000th the size of the diameter of human hair.
Dr Gibson, an EPSRC Advanced Research Fellow within the Schools of Medical Sciences and Engineering and Physical Sciences, said: “The whole idea of the project is to develop an "intelligent" implant that can induce the body to repair itself.
"The problem for some people who suffer from bone disease or bone trauma, such as a fracture or break, is that it can be very difficult for the body to heal itself. Sometimes the bone won't heal properly and the body needs extra help, perhaps via a bone graft or the use of synthetic graft material.
"There is a huge demand for synthetic graft material to replace bone that is diseased, perhaps by cancer, osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, or bone that has been damaged in some way. One of the oldest known synthetic graft materials is calcium sulphate, or Plaster of Paris, but this material does not integrate with the body and just dissolves before satisfactory bone repair can occur.
“The potential for a device that can help bone to heal itself is really enormous. Over one million patients in the US and Europe undergo operations requiring bone grafts every year. Bone is second only to blood in the list of transplanted materials.”
Professor Colin McCaig, Head of the School of Medical Sciences, added: “Bones and many other tissues produce their own electrical signals that are needed to heal wounds. By applying these signals to bones that otherwise do not heal, doctors can sometimes promote bone repair. A separate approach has been to use synthetic graft materials to “knit” the broken ends of the bone together. Since neither of these methods is completely successful, our plan is to integrate these ideas by studying the combined effects of electrical stimulation and synthetic graft materials on bone repair.”
For a damaged bone to heal, bone producing cells need a framework to grow on - usually blood cells and tissue fill the space of the defect in the bone, providing this framework for the bone producing cells.
However, sometimes the defect in the bone is too big and the healing process cannot be completed. This is when extra help is needed in the form of bone grafts or synthetic grafts. The patients' own bone provides the best result, but there is a limited supply of "own" bone because only a small piece of bone can be taken from elsewhere in the body. Traditional synthetic graft materials provide an adequate framework for bone producing cells to grow, but fail to stimulate their behaviour, and can ultimately result in slow and incomplete repair.
The intelligent implant being developed would be used inside the body, with its electronic signals guiding bone producing cells to migrate and grow over the implant.
Dr Gibson added: "I think the real challenge here is to get the body not just to accept the implant but actually integrate it within the body.
"It's an exciting project and our involvement - and the fact we are the only partner from the UK in the collaboration - demonstrates the University of Aberdeen's expertise in cell biology and biomedical materials."
The University of Aberdeen received the funding under the European Commission Sixth Framework Programme.