Magnetic nanoparticles ‘can play role in bone regeneration’

UK researchers have devised a new stem-cell assisted bone tissue regeneration technique involving the use of remotely-controlled magnetic nanoparticles.

A team from Keele University and Nottingham University have found that these magnetic nanoparticles, when coated with targeting proteins, can stimulate stem cells to regrow bone, without causing any mechanical stress to surrounding tissue.

The cells were delivered directly to the injured area by remotely controlling the nanoparticles using an external magnetic field, thereby generating the mechanical forces needed to maintain the regeneration process through staged releases of a protein growth stimulant.

It could represent an easier and less painful alternative to bone grafts for patients affected by bone damage that cannot be healed on its own.

Dr James Henstock, of Keele University's Research Institute for Science and Technology in Medicine, said: "Injectable therapies for regenerative medicine show great potential as a minimally invasive route for introducing therapeutic stem cells, drug delivery vehicles and biomaterials efficiently to wound sites."

In particular, this could be a useful new treatment approach for osteoporosis, a common condition that affects around three million people in the UK.