Scientists develop new bone grafting material from sea urchin spines

[Lestat]

"For example, current bioceramics, such as hydroxyapatite, that have been used as scaffolds for bone repair tend to be weak and brittle, which can lead to pieces breaking off. These pieces can then move into adjacent soft tissue, causing inflammation. Recent studies have shown that biological materials, such as sea urchin spines, have promise as bone scaffolds because of their porosity and strength.

Using a hydrothermal reaction, the researchers converted sea urchin spines to biodegradable magnesium-substituted tricalcium phosphate scaffolds while maintaining the spines' original interconnected, porous structure. Unlike hydroxyapatite, the scaffolds made from sea urchin spines could be cut and drilled to a specified shape and size. Testing on rabbits and beagles showed that bone cells and nutrients could flow through the pores and promote bone formation. Also, the scaffold degraded easily as it was replaced by the new growth."

http://www.news-medical.net/news/20170323/Scientists-develop-new-bone-grafting-material-from-sea-urchin-spines.aspx

[Lazlo]

Very nice post.

What's interesting for me isn't that bone cells grow through the pores (this happens with HA paste) but rather that the scaffold biodegrades as it's replaced. That suggests the end result could be 100% your own bone i.e. the holy grail.

Great find.

well that happens with cadaver bone as well --as long as its a graft between two bones. ie. between an osteotomy. Can you shape and graft ON TOP of a bone with this graft? And will bone still grow through it? I don't think so. So it's useless as a grafting material in the way medpor can be used around the jaw angles. Not the holy grail at all. Useless.

[Lazlo]

Note the doctors indicate it was used for bone repair. not onlay. I think in fact these are more apt to cause relapse since they are in fact biodegradable.

Ugh it really sucks but until scientists can fully clone and GROW real lviing bone tissue, these innovations are useless for us who want cosmetic onlay.

[ppsk]

well that happens with cadaver bone as well --as long as its a graft between two bones. ie. between an osteotomy. Can you shape and graft ON TOP of a bone with this graft? And will bone still grow through it? I don't think so. So it's useless as a grafting material in the way medpor can be used around the jaw angles. Not the holy grail at all. Useless.

see this is what i dont get about all the problems with using bone grafts for augmentation

okay so onlay is extremely unreliable... but interpositional like in most osteotomies is okay? Is it not possible then to perform osteotomies in such a manner where the "surface" to be augmented is cut, moved out and then bone graft used to fill?

if i understand correctly, this already happens with the "widening" chin wing or side wing wtf ever, in theory shouldn't the same thing be possible for the zygomatic arches or malar?

[Lestat]

@ppsk: I think there are a lot of nerves and also native bone resorption is a real risk.

[Lazlo]

Yes I know. It's still interesting what Lestat has found. If I didn't think it had potential as an onlay I wouldn't be commenting. It sounds like a biodegradable version of HA paste and HA can be used an onlay.

Yeah but if its biodegradable then won't it just resorb as an onlay? It could maybe be used as a scaffold to implant bone cells into. But if we could manufacture bone cells we wouldn't have this problem.

[Lazlo]

Bone grows up to 50% into certain porous onlay HA pastes but eventually stops because pure HA isn't replaceable by bone. Imagine the same with this substance but rather than stopping, it can keep growing into it because the scaffold gradually degrades. If it can do that then it's a big leap forward. If it can't then yeah it's s**t.

Huh yeah I didn't know bone grows into HA onlay by 50 percent. That's really good. Yeah you're right it might make a difference or be a step in the right direction. Let's hope.

[Rico]

scientists ,srientists...  nothing of those things will be applied in your cases.  it will take too many years to get them on market..and you will be too old to have any benefits from the new solutions

when you become 60-70y old , will that make any difference that a new technology can be used ?  for us no...