AsianScientist (Oct. 16, 2016) – A research team in Japan has overcome the challenges surrounding bone repair by developing a technique for producing double-layered cell constructs that can be transplanted onto bone defects. The findings of the study were published in Scientific Reports.
Various technologies have been developed to introduce laboratory-grown bone-forming cells into bone defects to promote their repair. However, these have many limitations as the conditions of the cells and their surroundings do not accurately mimic those typically found in the body; meaning they cannot optimally promote bone formation.
The present study, by researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), focused on a technique that increases the speed of bone repair, and the flexibility and durability of the constructs make them ideal for many surgical applications.
The researchers established a double-layered cell transfer technology and used it to apply different combinations of cells related to bone formation to defects in mouse skulls. Cells with various functions can be cultured in the laboratory and then introduced into the body to treat different medical conditions.
However, as individual cells can spread away from the site of injury, they need to be held in place on a scaffold, which is then transplanted into the body. When the body repairs broken or damaged bones, it employs a complex system of molecular signals and cells, including osteoblasts that build up the calcium matrix on which bone is based. To speed up the repair of bone defects by artificial means or enable recovery from severe injuries, tissue engineering approaches thus need to mimic this complex system.
“We found that osteoblasts together with stem cells from tooth-supporting ligament were particularly effective at promoting bone repair than equivalent scaffolds containing only a single cell layer,” said first author Ms. Keiko Akazawa.
The double-layered cell constructs were also tested for their stability and flexibility. The cells remained attached despite folding the constructs or trimming them to fit the shape of a particular defect.
The article can be found at: Akazawa et al. (2016) Double-layered Cell Transfer Technology for Bone Regeneration.
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Source: Tokyo Medical and Dental University.
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