Scientists from Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH, US) are the first to report synthetic silicate nanoplatelets (known as layered clay) can induce the development of stem cells into bone cells without additional bone-inducing factors. Synthetic silicates consist of simple or complex compounds of silicic acids, and are widely used in the production as food additives for the manufacture of glass or ceramic filters and more.
“With an aging population in the U.S., injuries and degenerative conditions are subsequently on the rise. As a result, there is an increased demand for therapies that can repair damaged tissues.In particular, is especially necessary to develop new materials capable of inducing differentiation of stem cells into desired tissue. Until such materials just include silicate plate, which soon will find wide application in biotechnology and medicine,” said Harvard Medical School Associate Professor of Medicine Ali Khademhosseini, the senior author of the study.
Ceramics and similar silicate structures are widely used in implants, however, nanoplatelets used to replace the damaged bone areas provide more regeneration of bone, making this new discovery key to creating bioactive fillers, allowing for injectable tissue repair actually with a simple clay. Most importantly – it provides an opportunity to build bone in damaged areas by using induced stem cells.
The mechanism that regulates stem cell induction from nanoplatelets is still not fully understood, and now scientists are working on the study of interactions between cells and layered clay and, of course, the ability to influence this interaction to stimulate the capacity for use on areas of capacity lost bone.
Source: http://news.harvard.edu/…/…/2013/05/using-clay-to-grow-bone/
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