Dental News - Researchers develop new bonelike material

Dental Tribune International

Thu. 15. August 2019

save

PORTLAND, Ore., U.S.: In a recent development that could have a huge impact on the dental industry, researchers from the Oregon Health and Science University School of Dentistry have developed a material that replicates human bone tissue. It can be produced in 72 days or less with an unprecedented level of precision, from its microscopic crystalline structure to its biological activity, and has been referred to as “bone in a dish”.

Speaking to Dental Tribune International regarding the process of developing the new material, lead researcher Dr. Luiz E. Bertassoni said that the journey had been a long one, from identifying the nanoscale characteristics of bone and other mineralized tissue to subsequently learning and optimizing a process to grow blood capillaries and neuronal networks in vitro. “After we had those pieces of the puzzle, which we sort of accumulated over the years, we began to concentrate on the development of a system that could calcify cell-loaded hydrogels to mimic the nanoscale structure and composition of bone.”

Testing a number of proteins and polymers that are known to promote nanoscale calcification of collagen, Bertassoni and his team then set out to optimize the conditions required to culture cells in the solutions, before fine-tuning the system that led to functional blood capillaries, nerve fibers and bone metabolism. “If our predictions are correct, this could mean that large bone defects that currently do not heal by themselves and require autologous bone transplantation may actually be regenerated better with these materials. We are currently testing that. In a way, it’s like we are able to make real human bone—with nearly all of its complexity—in the lab in a matter of 72 days or less, in a highly controllable method.”

The short space of time in which the material can be produced is another exciting element of the study. According to Bertassoni, because the researchers can start and stop the process as they please and can also add more or less calcium and phosphate, the environment is highly controlled, which therefore produces fast results.

However, the fast results are not impressive without material accuracy. Bertassoni explained that the trick of being able to produce bone down to the nanometer scale is to mimic nature to the closest degree possible. “We have known for a while that bone mineralization is orchestrated by proteins. Nature does this in a funny way, where it prevents mineral precipitation to actually form a mineral crystallite. So, we adopted a similar approach. We used a highly efficient precipitation inhibitor—which is counterintuitive—to actually form a mineral crystal and that allowed the ‘liquid’ mineral ions to infiltrate into the nanoporosity of collagen (the major protein in bone) like water seeps into the tiniest little holes. Once the infiltration has taken place, the proteins are removed and ions crystalize into the exact shape and form of mineral crystals in the native bone.”

The researchers are pushing for the material to be available in the next few years. “This is an area where regulatory hurdles are still very significant, and that may delay things a bit for clinical use. But the technology is being actively optimized for wider use,” said Bertassoni.

The study, titled “Rapid fabrication of vascularized and innervated cell-laden bone models with biomimetic intrafibrillar collagen mineralization,” was published on Aug. 6, 2019, in Nature Communications.

Tags:

One thought on “Researchers develop new bonelike material”

Dental Tribune Latin America says:

August 28, 2019 at 12:47 am

Interesting article

To post a reply please login or register

Researchers develop material that could emulate dental enamel

LONDON, UK: Unlike many other tissues in the human body, dental enamel does not regenerate itself once it is damaged. In what could potentially be a ...

German researchers develop high-strength material for dental crown

WÜRZBURG, Germany: Conventionally, the production of a dental crown requires several dentist appointments in order to complete the treatment. Researchers ...

Researchers develop new periodontitis treatment method

LOS ANGELES, U.S.: Recent studies showing an increase in patients with periodontitis, as well as studies linking it with Alzheimer’s disease, have led to ...

UK researchers develop effective new xerostomia solution

LEEDS, UK: Xerostomia is a prevalent condition especially among older adults, cancer patients and people taking multiple medications. Researchers at the ...

Researchers develop new method for identifying oral cancer

SÃO PAULO, Brazil: In a discovery that may help the early identification of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), researchers in Brazil have found a ...

Researchers develop new means to treat incipient dental caries

WASHINGTON, U.S.: Prevention is always the best place to start when talking about dental care; however, many patients would be thrilled to have access to an...

Italian researchers test 11 new 3D-printing materials

PERUGIA, Italy: In recent years, the landscape of dental prosthesis fabrication has seen a significant shift with the advent of additive manufacturing ...

Researchers develop dental floss capable of measuring stress

MEDFORD, Mass., US: Stress can present as a wide range of physical, emotional and social symptoms, such as irritability, headache, anxiety and elevated ...

Scientists to develop novel dental restorative material

TORONTO, Canada: Researchers from the University of Toronto (U of T) have recently been awarded a grant to develop a new restorative material for treating ...

Researchers discover new material that could make dental fillings more durable

PORTLAND, Ore., U.S.: A recent study has found that a compound used to make car bumpers more robust and protect wood decks could make dental fillings last ...

Education

Live webinar
Mon. 15 September 2025
1:00 pm EST (New York)