Researchers at the Krasnoyarsk Scientific Center of the SB RAS have created innovative 3D frames that support bone healing even after severe damage. Reports from Reedus describe an implant that serves its function and then gradually dissolves, leaving behind fully regenerated bone tissue. The concept is simple yet powerful: the scaffold provides a temporary framework, and over time it is absorbed while the new bone forms and strengthens around it.
The scaffolds are crafted from naturally occurring derivatives of hydroxy fatty acids, produced through the bacterium Cupriavidus eutrophus. Scientists fashioned flexible filament-like structures from this polymer, loaded them into a 3D printer, and produced the implant shapes needed for experimentation.
In tests conducted on the femur of a domestic pig, bone-forming cells rapidly populated the surface of the frame. After approximately five months, the original bone defect was effectively repaired, and the material was absorbed by the body, breaking down into butyric acid monomers.
This technology is presented as suitable for a wide range of patients, including those who have fractures as well as individuals who have lost bone tissue due to tumors, infections, or other medical factors.
In 2023, researchers from NUST MISIS announced the development of a biocompatible osteochondral implant prototype aimed at treating degenerative knee joint diseases. This information was shared by the university press service.
Earlier, researchers in Switzerland and the United States began work on regenerating nerve cells in mice after spinal cord injury, achieving partial restoration of mobility in the affected animals.