Bio Patch Regenerates Bone from Within

By inserting DNA into a nano-sized particle, researchers have developed a new bio patch capable of regenerating missing or damaged bone.

The patch uses DNA that encodes for the protein PDGF-B, and is unique in delivering bone-manufacturing instructions to already existing bones from within, forgoing repeated applications from the outside, which are far more difficult and costly.

"We delivered the DNA to the cells, so that the cells produce the protein and that's how the protein is generated to enhance bone regeneration," Aliasger Salem, professor from the University of Iowa's College of Pharmacy and a co-corresponding author on the paper, said in a statement. "If you deliver just the protein, you have keep delivering it with continuous injections to maintain the dose. With our method, you get local, sustained expression over a prolonged period of time without having to give continued doses of protein."

The bone-regeneration "kit" uses a collagen foundation seeded with those particles required to produce bone. In tests, the patch regrew enough bone to cover skull wounds in test animals. It also stimulated new growth in human bone marrow stromal cells in the lab.

Among the many applications such a device could have, the researchers list dentistry, particularly in rebuilding bone in the gum area to allow for a platform for dental implants when needed. The ability to do so would be a "life-changing experience" for patients who lack the bone required for implants, according to Satheesh Elangovan, assistant professor in the school's College of Dentistry and a joint first author, as well as co-corresponding author.

Arguably even more life-changing is its potential use in repairing birth defects in which a child is born with missing bone around the head or face.

"We can make a scaffold in the actual shape and size of the defect site," Elangovan said, "and you'd get complete regeneration to match the shape of what should have been there."