Multimedia Gallery
Material mimics real bone to repair injuries faster - Biotech's Future
For serious bone injuries, surgeons often must to use transplanted material to repair the damage and help the bone regrow itself. But using transplanted bone requires a second surgical site and has other limitations, so scientists have been exploring synthetic alternatives.
National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded researchers have developed a new material that mimics the composition and architecture of natural bone that enable bones to heal faster.
Michael Zilm, CEO and co-founder of OrteoPonix LLC, explains how this technology uses collagen and hydroxyapatite -- materials derived from natural bone -- to create a scaffold for bone to build on. The body's own bone cells infiltrate the scaffold and, over time, natural bone replaces the synthetic graft.
Most bone can repair itself naturally, but for significant injuries bone needs help, says Zilm.
The research is funded by the NSF Partnerships for Innovation: Accelerating Innovation Research -- Technology Translation program.
Learn more about OrteoPoniX and Watch other NSF-funded biotech stories.
Original air date: January 14, 2016
Credit: NSF
Images and other media in the National Science Foundation Multimedia Gallery are available for use in print and electronic material by NSF employees, members of the media, university staff, teachers and the general public. All media in the gallery are intended for personal, educational and nonprofit/non-commercial use only.
Videos credited to the National Science Foundation, an agency of the U.S. Government, may be distributed freely. However, some materials within the videos may be copyrighted. If you would like to use portions of NSF-produced programs in another product, please contact the Video Team in the Office of Legislative and Public Affairs at the National Science Foundation.
Additional information about general usage can be found in Conditions.