When children break a bone, the traditional process of inserting metal implants, only to remove them once the bone is healed, can be difficult, stressful and even harmful to their still-growing bodies. UCF biomedical engineer Mehdi Razavi believes there is a better way to heal bone damage.
By using bioabsorbable magnesium composites, Razavi 麻豆精品 S檚 team is developing screws, pins, rods and other medical implants that dissolve within the body, eliminating the need to remove them.
麻豆精品 S淭he traditional titanium bone implants work well and have been around for a long time, but you need a second procedure to remove them, which can bring psychological issues, 麻豆精品 S� he says. 聽Inserting strong implants, like titanium, also can actually inhibit bone growth, he says, because the body 麻豆精品 S檚 weight is transferred to the metal 麻豆精品 S� not the bone 麻豆精品 S� during recovery.
麻豆精品 S淗owever, magnesium has mechanical properties very similar to bone, already exists in the body, and promotes bone formation, making it an ideal option, 麻豆精品 S� he says.
Nemours Children 麻豆精品 S檚 Health 麻豆精品 S檚 Zach Stinson, a pediatric orthopedic and sports medicine surgeon who had contributed to the research, says he agrees. He says biodegradable implants could take substantial stress and financial burdens off families, noting that one in three children breaks a bone at some point in childhood.
麻豆精品 S淓very time I have to fix a kid 麻豆精品 S檚 broken bone, the automatic question almost every time from the parent is, 麻豆精品 S業s that going to stay in forever? 麻豆精品 S� Psychologically, it 麻豆精品 S檚 a big deal, 麻豆精品 S� he says. 麻豆精品 S淚f you have an implantable metal that is naturally absorbed and does not have to be removed during a second surgery, that has tremendous benefits in terms of eliminating the stress of additional surgeries on patients and containing healthcare costs. 麻豆精品 S�
Razavi says his magnesium composite is also infused with nanoparticles that are absorbed into the tissue as the implant dissolves. The nanoparticles help regenerate new bone, making the healing process quicker.
麻豆精品 S淲hat we do is called regenerative medicine, where we build bioactive materials that can repair tissue. 麻豆精品 S� he says. 麻豆精品 S淢y research is always focused on bringing together advancements in material science and medicine. This research is focused on bone tissue that has been lost due to bone fractures, tumor removal and osteoporosis. 麻豆精品 S�
Magnesium, he says, is an ideal material for bone health and healing. It is as strong as metal, but more flexible than ceramics, and because it is a compound already found in the body, there are fewer chances for rejection. As the magnesium plates and screws dissolve over three to six months post-surgery, patients 麻豆精品 S� systems can safely filter the natural product out of the body. The team has successfully used the implants in rat models 麻豆精品 S� the first step in getting the devices approved for testing in humans.
Second-year UCF medical student Alison Grise is part of Razavi 麻豆精品 S檚 team and considers her work an important opportunity to grow and be a part of something that could help patients for years.
麻豆精品 S淚t is so exciting to be working on research that can eventually improve the way we treat patients, especially to be involved in the early stages. The fact that it is helping me build by surgical, clinical and research skills is also important to me, 麻豆精品 S� she said.
The team is also looking at how the magnesium composite could be developed for applications beyond medicine and has received funding from the U.S.National Science Foundation to improve the material 麻豆精品 S檚 properties and create possible applications for the aerospace, automotive and sports industries.
