|
E-mail this page to a friend!
Senior Citizen Health & Medicine
Students' Research Could Lead to Replacing Bone Lost
to Osteoporosis
Advancing the search
for simple, cost effective, and minimally invasive methods of healing
bones
 October
31, 2006 - Rapid and guided healing of bones has moved a step closer
with research by two Australian biomedical engineering students who have
found new ways to deliver bone growth enhancers directly to broken or
weakened bones. Replacing bone lost by senior citizens to osteoporosis
is one of their goals.
Major ongoing research at Queensland University of
Technology focuses on biodegradable materials that carry bone growth
enhancing substances to encourage bones to heal quickly with much less
intervention.
| |
Related Stories |
|
| |
Osteoporosis Risk Increases for Older Women Drinking
Cola
All the facts aren't in, say experts, but women may
want to hold off on cola
October 6, 2006 –
Read more...
New Strontium Drug Reduces Fracture Risk in Older
Women with Osteoporosis
July 24, 2006 -
Read more...
Older Women More Likely to Take Osteoporosis Drugs
if Monthly, with Reminder
Family doctors
studied over 1,000 UK women, average age of 68
July 20, 2006 -
Read more...
Lead May Be the Bullet Causing Osteoporosis in
Senior Citizens
March 27, 2006 -
Read more...
Older Women Stay Healthy if Socially Engaged,
Pursuing Goals
March 6, 2006 –
Read more...
Calcium, Vitamin D Supplements Offer Modest Bone Improvements, No
Benefits for Colorectal Cancer
Feb. 16, 2006 -
Read more...
Osteoporosis Information Now Online at NIHSeniorHealth
Jan. 27, 2006 –
Read more...
Read more on
Health & Medicine |
|
The research is ultimately aimed at repairing
fractured bones or replacing bone weakened or lost from osteoporosis,
cancer or trauma with minimal intervention and without painful and
expensive bone grafts or pins and plates.
Fourth year biomedical engineering student Wayne
Shaw has developed tiny biodegradable spheres made from polymers that
can be loaded with calcium phosphate compounds - known bone growth
facilitators - and placed on bone defects.
"As the microspheres degrade the calcium phosphate
compounds are absorbed and encourage the bone to grow quickly into the
area and build new bone," Mr Shaw said.
"The microspheres, which are highly porous, range
in size from 50 to 500 microns and have calcium phosphate abundantly
deposited throughout the pores, can be used in a variety of ways.
"They could be used to fill bone defects or
cavities, to coat load bearing implants, and to make scaffolds for the
regeneration of bone."
Mr Shaw won joint best exhibit in the National 2006
Engineering and Physical Sciences in Medicine conference at Noosa,
Australia in September.
Fellow fourth year biomedical engineering student
Achi Kushnir has developed a load bearing ceramic material capable of
carrying the same bone growth enhancing chemicals and of being absorbed
by the body.
Mr Kushnir has integrated a dense ceramic core with
a porous ceramic layer that can be used in place of metal implants for
some clinical situations because it will attach to and integrate with
bone and eventually degrade away.
"The dense core has high compressive strength for
load-bearing applications such as for the long bones of the legs or
arms," Mr Kushnir said.
"The unique core structure of the material will
provide the mechanical properties needed for load-bearing bones and the
outside porous layer will assist with the bone repair."
"Bioactive ceramics are known to be body-friendly
but until now they have been limited by lack of mechanical properties
including compressive strength for carrying loads."
The students' work was supervised by Associate
Professor Simon X. Miao who said their findings had advanced the search
for simple, cost effective, and minimally invasive methods of healing
bones. This bone research has been supported by the Medical Device
Domain of QUT's Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation led by
Professor Mark Pearcy.
Click to More Senior News on the
Front Page
Copyright: SeniorJournal.com |
