45 New Technique Makes Artificial Bones More Natural
A new technique for producing artificial bone implants has been developed by Korean researchers at Japan's National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS). Published in the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Material (STAM), the technique combines two methods to approximate both types of bone tissue. By mimicking natural bone, it is hoped the implant material will better complement the natural regeneration process. Most previous studies have focussed on producing cancellous bone, which has a spongy, honeycombed structure.
However, artificial bones for practical applications must also imitate cortical bone, the hard, strong tissue found on the outer layers of bone. Cortical bone is less porous than cancellous bone, but contains canals through which the nutrients for bone formation flow. By developing a process to imitate this canal structure, the researchers made significant advances in the fabrication of artificial bones.
Bundles of polymer-based biomaterials were wrapped around 0.3mm diameter steel wires by the method of ‘electrospinning’, whereby fine fibres of material are drawn out by electric charge. These bundles were used to cover a scaffold of cancellous bone structure, made by the standard ‘sponge replica method’ out of zirconia (ZrO2) and biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP). Removal of the steel wires resulted in interconnected structures mimicking small human bones. The resulting structure had a high strength and a porosity of approximately 70%—similar to natural bone. Tests confirmed the artificial bone structure had a high degree of biocompatibility, which is critical for real-world applications. However, more research is needed to evaluate the biological properties of this material both in vitro and in vivo.
The rapid ageing of the population makes bone loss and fracture a major worldwide problem and stimulates bone regeneration research. Biomimetic approaches to making artificial implants have attracted much attention, but the dependence of the healing process on interaction with the implant material requires close mimicry of the architecture of natural bone. This paper marks a significant advance in the development of materials and processing technology for the fabrication of artificial bone structures.
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Successful Completion of Bio-Detection Project
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Stratophase has announced the successful completion of the Portable Direct Immunoassay Diagnosis Devices for Animals and Humans (PDIDDAH) project. Using Stratophase’s proprietary optical microchip technology, the goal of the proof-of- principle study was to assess the feasibility of using a self-contained, portable detection unit to accurately identify the presence of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD). The £1 million project, co-funded by the UK government-sponsored Technology Strategy Board, was performed in collaboration with the Institute of Biotechnology (University of Cambridge), Bristol Industrial and Research Associates Limited and the Chelsea Technologies Group. When testing the prototype in a laboratory environment, the unit was able to detect FMD quickly, easily and with a high degree of accuracy. If further developed, such a device would allow veterinary professionals, inspectors and farmers to make rapid, informed decisions at the site of infection during disease outbreaks, avoiding the need to cull of healthy livestock.
To address this need, Stratophase has developed a transportable FMD detection unit utilising the company’s proprietary optical microchip technology, which measures changes in refractive index (RI) at the surface of an optical chip. During analysis, the sample is mixed with a liquid and pumped across the chip surface, where any FMD viral particles present bind to specific receptor molecules, altering the local RI and leading to positive detection. The chips themselves are incorporated into low cost, disposable cartridges, which are inserted into the detection unit during testing. The research carried out as part of the PDIDDAH project has successfully shown that the platform has the potential to provide a robust, rapid, accurate, easy-to-use solution for the on-site detection of FMD.
On completion of the project, Richard Williams, Stratophase’s Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted with the results of the PDIDDAH collaboration and believe it provides the perfect basis for further developing our bio-detection technology. As well as a clear application in veterinary diagnostics, our optical microchips can be configured to detect a whole range of biological agents, making them ideal for on-site testing in environments as diverse as battlefields, hospitals and farms.”
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