New gel could stimulate bone regeneration

Israel: Researchers at Tel Aviv University claim to be developing a water-based gel that could enable faster bone restoration.

Titled “Immunomodulatory fibrous hyaluronic acid-Fmoc-diphenylalanine-based hydrogel induces bone regeneration“, the study was published in the recent issue of the Journal of Clinical Peridodontology.

According to the researchers, the water-based gel, or hydrogel, has extensive clinical applications in orthopedic and dental medicine.

Alternative to bone grafting for dental implants?

Said to stimulate the regrowing of bones, they claim the hydrogel could potentially offer a an easier alternative to current surgical bone grafting procedures and transform the way dentists replace lost teeth with dental implants.

“When we lose teeth due to extensive damage or bacterial infections, the standard treatment is dental implants,” said Prof Lihi Adler-Abramovich, one of the authors from the Maurice and Gabriela Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine.

“Implants, however, must be anchored in a sufficient amount of bone, and when bone loss is too substantial, physicians implant additional bone from a healthy part of the body – a complex medical procedure.

“Another option is adding bone substitutes from either human or animal sources, but these might generate an immune response. I hope that in the future the hydrogel we have developed will enable faster, safer, and simpler bone restoration.”

Mimics extracellular matrix of natural bone

According to the authors, the gel mimics the extracellular matrix of the natural bone, which stimulates bone growth and reactivates the immune system to accelerate the healing process.

Natural substances that surround our cells are known as the ‘extracellular matrix’, and every tissue in our body has one with different properties, they explained.

The gel mimics the extracellular matrix of the natural bone, which stimulates bone growth and reactivates the immune system to accelerate the healing process.

Citing a previous study, they added that “hydrogels are of particular interest as cell-ingrowth scaffolds for tissue engineering and bone regeneration, as they offer a three-dimensional (3D) network for cell attachment and growth.”

Over to clinical trials

Following successful tests in an animal model, the researchers plan to move forward to clinical trials.

“Small bone defects, such as fractures, heal spontaneously, with the body restoring the lost bone tissue.

“The problem begins with large bone defects. In many cases, when substantial bone loss results from tumour resection (removal by surgery), physical trauma, tooth extraction, gum disease or inflammation around dental implants, the bone is unable to renew itself.

“In our study, we produced a hydrogel that mimics this specific matrix in both chemical and physical properties. At the nanometric level, the cell can attach itself to the gel, gaining structural support and receiving relevant mechanical signals from the fibres.

“To our delight, the bone defects were fully corrected through regeneration, with the bones regaining their original thickness, and generating new blood vessels.”