DTU researchers create a scaffold for instant healing of bone.
Histological evaluation of bone healing after 8 weeks is shown here. New bone is colored pink, and the empty defects is colored white. Credit: DTU Health Tech.
Wednesday 16 August 2023
Tore Vind Jensen
A team at DTU Health Tech led by Associate Professor Alireza Dolatshahi-Pirouz have made a leap forward in tissue regeneration by creating a multi-levelled scaffold that encompasses properties of native bone on both the nano, micro and macro scale.
In addition, the scaffold is combinatorial and can simultaneously release several essential bone minerals while covering mechanical properties, i.e., the compressive strength needed to match those of cancellous human bone.
The implications of these results are enormous, and our aim is now to lower the healing time to 4 weeks and reach almost instant tissue regeneration without using endocrine factors and cells. We will also be looking into whether this could be used for other tissues," says Associate professor at DTU Health Tech and corresponding author Alireza Dolatshahi-Pirous.
FDA approved materials
By incorporating stem cells, more bioactive components such as collagen and gelatin, coatings that increase native cell migration into the scaffolds, and electromagnetic stimulation, it could pave the way for rapid healing of soldiers suffering from critical musculoskeletal fractures or civilians suffering from traumatic injuries. These people are hospitalized for months, with a long road to recovery.
Notably, this new scaffold was made primarily from glass, alginate and nano silicate— already FDA-approved materials. Thanks to its FDA-approved status, hurdles for regulatory clearance are significantly reduced. This means the scaffold can be used more confidently and efficiently in clinical settings, accelerating development and improving patient outcomes.
"I believe this discovery could be a game-changer in the field of tissue regeneration, and I hope to see this technology being used to help those in need," says Alireza Dolatshahi-Pirouz.
Topic
Biotechnology
DTU has a strong focus on the use of biotechnology within pharma and health, where biology and technology are utilized for early diagnosis of diseases as well as the development of new medicines and treatment methods.
Biotechnology is part of the life science area and research into this area is so extensive that it alone accounts for a third of the university's scientific publications. The latest national figures show that the biotech industry's total annual growth in this area is 6 %. This is three times higher than the average growth in the private business community.
Statistics Denmark's latest figures show a 30 % increase in the number of graduates with a long scientific education within technical sciences who are employed in the sector.
