Scientists closer to making implantable bone material for orthopedics

1^st on the web (July 28, 2009)

Researchers are closer to understanding how to grow replacement bones using stem cell technology, according to research published Sunday in the journal Nature Materials.

Scientists from Imperial College London compared the bone-like material grown from three different, commonly used, clinically relevant cell types and discovered significant differences between the qualities of bone-like material that these can form, according to a press release.

Among these discoveries: Bone-like materials that were grown from bone cells in mouse skull and mouse bone marrow stem cells successfully mimicked many of the hallmarks of real bone, including stiffness. The investigators also found that the bone-like material grown from mouse embryonic stem cells was much less stiff and complex in its mineral composition when compared to the other materials.

The scientists suggest that further research is now needed to explore the implications of these results for different stem cell therapies.

Researchers used laser-based Raman spectroscopy and multivariate statistical analysis techniques, which enabled them to compare and analyze data about the growth of different cell populations and understand the detailed chemical make-up of live cells as they grew. They also used a nano-indenter and high resolution electron microscopy, which allowed them to probe the samples so they could understand how stiff the bone-like materials were and what their structure was at a microscopic level.

“Our study provides an important insight into how different cell sources can really influence the quality of bone that we can produce,” Molly Stevens, a professor with the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at Imperial College London, said in the press release. “It brings us one step closer to developing materials that will have the highest chance of success when implanted into patients.”

Reference:

• Gentleman E, Swain RJ, Evans ND, et al. Comparative materials differences revealed in engineered bone as a function of cell-specific differentiation. Nat Mater. July 26, 2009.

For more information:

• www.imperial.ac.uk