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A new discovery by a team of researchers at the Imperial College London will tremendously ease the healing of a broken bone. Bone transplantation may soon become a passé as the researchers have developed a porous glass that is capable of acting as an active template for new bone growth. The porous glass simply dissolves in the body without leaving any trace of itself or any toxic chemicals.
The new Imperial College finding will soon be in the markets that will allow the patients to regrow bones by dissolving and releasing calcium into the body. According to researchers, the new wonder glass after dissolving in the body not only releases calcium but other elements as well such as silicon into adjacent body fluids, stimulating bone growth.
The researchers have revealed that the specific concentrations of soluble silica and calcium ions, in the glass activate genes that encode proteins, controlling the bone cell cycle and differentiation of the cell, to form bone matrix and rapid mineralization of bone nodules. However the gene is activated only when the timing sequence of a cell cycle is matched by that of the glass surface reactions and controlled release of ions.
