UGA Researchers Developing Fracture Putty Which Could Heal Broken Bones in Days
Posted on May 31, 2012
Researchers at the University of Georgia Regenerative Bioscience Center (RBC) say they have developed putty which can repair broken bones in days. The RBC researchers used adult stem cells that produce a protein involved in bone healing and generation. The protein was was made into a gel dubbed "fracture putty."
The researchers used a stabilizing device and inserted putty into fractures in rats. Video of the healed animals at two weeks shows the rats running around and standing on their hind legs with no evidence of injury. The RBC researchers are now testing the material in pigs and sheep.
Steve Stice, director of the UGA Regenerative Bioscience Center, says, "Complex fractures are a major cause of amputation of limbs for U.S. military men and women. or many young soldiers, their mental health becomes a real issue when they are confined to a bed for three to six months after an injury. This discovery may allow them to be up and moving as fast as days afterward."
Stice has been working with Dr. John Peroni to develop a fast bone healing process. They are leading a large animal research project funded by the U.S. Department of Defense. Earlier this year, the group showed bone can be generated in sheep in less than four weeks. Once they have something that works for animals, it will be passed over to the DOD for human use.
Dr. Peroni says, "The next step is to show that we can rapidly and consistently heal fractures in a large animal, then to convert it to clinical cases in the UGA [College of Veterinary Medicine] clinics where clinicians treat animals with complex fractures all the time."
NMA News animated the fracture putty concept showing how it could potentially work in humans if the UGA researchers early success in animals ultimately translates into similar success with human bone fractures. Take a look: