Context:
Recently, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Canada based biotechnology company (Conlis Global) for licensing of an innovative and indigenously developed technology that promotes bone healing and regeneration.
Relevance:
GS III: Science and Technology
Dimensions of the Article:
- Nano Hydroxyapatite-based Porous Composite Scaffolds: An Overview
- Bone Grafting: An Overview
Nano Hydroxyapatite-based Porous Composite Scaffolds: An Overview
- Nano Hydroxyapatite-based Porous Composite Scaffolds are innovative biomaterials designed for bone regeneration. They are biodegradable, offering osteoinductive and osteopromotive properties that facilitate bone healing and growth.
Key Characteristics:
- Biocompatibility: These scaffolds are highly biocompatible, ensuring optimal interaction between cells and the material. This feature promotes good cell-material interaction, particularly with osteoblast cells responsible for bone formation and remodelling.
- Mechanical Strength: Despite being biodegradable, these scaffolds exhibit high mechanical strength, which is crucial for providing structural support during bone regeneration.
- Osteoinductive and Osteopromotive Properties: These properties contribute to bone healing and growth, making the scaffolds effective in promoting tissue formation, mineralization, and rapid defect healing.
Applications:
- Orthopaedic and Dental Implants: These scaffolds are commonly used in the development of orthopaedic and dental implants due to their biocompatibility and osteogenic properties.
- Bone Graft Substitutes: They serve as effective substitutes for traditional bone grafts, promoting bone growth and regeneration in damaged or defective areas.
- Coatings for Prosthetic Devices: Functionalized versions of these scaffolds can be used as coatings for prosthetic devices to enhance their biocompatibility and promote better integration with the host tissue.
- Tissue Engineering Scaffolds: They are employed in tissue engineering applications to create 3D structures that support cell growth and differentiation, facilitating the formation of new tissues.
- Large Bone Defects: Functionalized scaffolds can be used as fillers in large-size bone defects, ensuring connectivity, structural integrity, and proper oxygen and blood circulation within the defect site.
Bone Grafting: An Overview
Bone grafting is a surgical procedure used to repair and reconstruct bones that have been damaged due to disease or injury. In this procedure, transplanted bone from either the patient’s own body (autograft) or a donor (allograft) is used to stimulate bone healing and regeneration. Bone grafting is a versatile technique applicable to various parts of the body and can be performed using bone harvested from different sources, such as the hips, legs, or ribs.
Objectives and Advancements:
- Overcoming Drawbacks of Existing Remedies: The primary goal of innovative bone grafting technologies is to address the limitations and complications associated with traditional bone grafting methods, which often involve risks of infection and immune-related issues.
- Targeted Delivery of Therapeutic Agents: Modern bone grafting technologies aim to deliver bone-active molecules, antibiotics, or other drugs directly to the implant site, enhancing the healing process and reducing the risk of complications.
- Biocompatibility and Bone Regeneration: Advanced bone grafting materials are designed to be biocompatible, promoting the regeneration of bone tissue by acting as carriers for bone-active biomolecules. This facilitates the repair of irregular bone defects and accelerates the healing process.
- Versatility in Applications: These innovative grafting materials are not only suitable for reconstructing bone defects but also find applications in dental procedures, further expanding their utility and effectiveness.
Functionalized Scaffolds in Bone Grafting:
- Enhanced Healing in Large Bone Defects: Functionalized scaffolds can be used as fillers in large bone defects without compromising structural integrity, oxygenation, or blood circulation. This promotes tissue formation, mineralization, and rapid defect healing.
- Bone Substitutes: These advanced grafting materials serve as effective substitutes for traditional bone grafts, overcoming the limitations associated with autografts and allografts.
-Source: The Hindu
