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New Ways to Heal Bone
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Posted on: 11/11/2003
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Have you ever come to a stretch of water in a stream or a big puddle that you couldn't jump over? When there's no way to get across, we start looking for a bridge. Believe it or not, this problem sometimes comes up inside the body. For example, take a large bone fracture. The body tries to fill in the area with new bone cells, but it can't quite reach all the way across. The gap is too large for healing to occur. In cases like these,
the doctor may have to operate.
A screw can be used to hold the two ends of bone together until they heal. Sometimes bone graft is used along with the screw. Researchers continue to seek for an easier way to bridge the gap. This study reports the progress being made in this area.
Proteins called bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) have the genetic code for growth factors (GFs). These GFs help new cartilage and bone cells grow. They also repair damaged cartilage and bone cells. BMPs have been used in animal and human studies. Researchers are exploring the use of BMPs with spinal fusion, large fractures, and nonhealing cartilage tears.
The authors of this report give a brief summary of these studies. Human clinical trials show that BMPs speed up spinal fusion and help heal large size defects in bone. BMPs seem to work better in animals than in humans. Scientists are trying to find out why this is true. Finding ways to get the BMP to the area of need long enough to do the work is the focus of new studies.
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References:
Paul S. Issack, MD, Phd, and Paul E. DiCesare, MD, et al. Recent Advances Toward the Clinical Application of Bone Morphogenetic Proteins in Bone and Cartilage Repair. In The American Journal of Orthopedics. September 2003. Vol. 32. No. 9. Pp.429-436.
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*Disclaimer:*The information contained herein is compiled from a variety of sources. It may not be complete or timely. It does not cover all diseases, physical conditions, ailments or treatments. The information should NOT be used in place of visit with your healthcare provider, nor should you disregard the advice of your health care provider because of any information you read in this topic. |
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