In this article scientists find a new way to coax clay into forming human bone. Normally, adults cannot make new bone, but this new finding may allow scientists to create new bone for people who suffer from weak, broken, or damaged bones that will not regenerate. The nanosized clay mesh scaffold used to produce the bone is degradable and compatible with human cells, and eventually cells degrade the material and are able to produce bone. The new technology could also lead to other tissue regeneration techniques, such as for organs and other tissues.
NOS themes:
Science is collaborative - the scientists in this article published numerous articles and journals about the technology they developed that will lead to further research in this area. They based their research on studies done since 2008.
Importance of repeat-ability - The studies conducted since 2008 were all closely related to each other, and all have produced consistent results (and thus the scientists are confident in their results)
It would be awesome if this technology advanced because many people who get bone marrow transplants suffer from Graft Versus Host disease where the body rejects the transplant. This maybe could prevent that! (more on graft versus host disease: http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/graft-versus-host-disease/overview.html )
ReplyDeleteThis could advance methods in healing bone. It could help heal bones faster from fractures, create realistic limbs for amputees, and lead to new findings in how to increase longevity. Here is an article on scientists attempting to develop muscle stem cells.
ReplyDeletehttp://genesdev.cshlp.org/content/20/13/1692.short
Wow if this technology develops like they hope for it to that could make a big impact in the medical world, even for something as simple as a broken bone.
ReplyDeleteThis is an article I found on a similar topic, but with severed nerves.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/02/27/147344516/new-methods-could-speed-up-repair-of-injured-nerves