ORTHOPEDICS THIS WEEK VOLUME 13 , ISSUE 38 | DECEMBER 5 , 2017 16 cells survived and were getting good growth — wrapping themselves around the growing axons as the axons extended along the scaffold ,” she said
The primary conventional treatment for spinal cord trauma has been to reduce inflammation with drugs . Researchers have also injected cells with growth factors , or growth factors alone , into the spinal cord in the hope of stimulating new growth . So far these have not been successful , Arinzeh says .
“ No technology has been effective so far , and so we ’ re taking it a step further , introducing biomaterials with an electrical charge . We ’ ve known in the biomedical world that electro stimulation can cause nerve cell growth — we ’ ve seen this with bone and cartilage tissue — so we set about to identify a polymer with piezoelectric properties . We found it in a material used for sutures , which is biocompatible and promotes nerve growth ,” she explained . “ We ’ re looking for some recovery of function . If we can show that , it would be a significant leap .”
Arinzeh has borrowed techniques from engineering sectors to advance tissue regeneration including for bone and cartilage repair . The polymer fibers that compose the framework of her scaffolds are formed by electrospinning , a technique developed by the textile industry .
Arinzeh remains hopeful “ We are relying on the scaffold to stimulate the body ’ s own cells to regrow tissue , but the biological factors driving the formation of neural tissue in the spinal cord appear to be more complex . To induce nervous tissue to not only regrow across the lesion , but to reconnect with the rest of the spinal cord , may require a combination of scaffolds , cells and growth factors .” — BY
New NIH Grant to Fund Exciting Osteogenesis Drug
Numerate , Inc ., based in San Bruno ,
California , has received a grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases ( NIAMS ) of the National Institutes of Health ( NIH ).
The funds will be utilized to expand drug options for orthopedic surgery
Wikimedia Commons and Bill Branson
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