IGS conference: Governing Responsible Nanomedical Innovation
Replacement Bones, Grown to Order in the Lab
Researchers at Columbia use a bioreactor, left, to house and help cultivate material, right, that evolves into a bone.
Image from NYTimes.com
Article published in the New York Times
IF a lover breaks your heart, tissue engineers can’t fix it. But if sticks and stones break your bones, scientists may be able to grow custom-size replacements.
Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, a professor of biomedical engineering at Columbia University, has solved one of many problems on the way to successful bone implants: how to grow new bones in the anatomical shape of the original.
Dr. Vunjak-Novakovic and her research team have created and nourished two small bones from scratch in their laboratory. The new bones, part of a joint at the back of the jaw, were created with human stem cells. The shape is based on digital images of undamaged bones.
Read the full article on:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/28/health/research/28novelties.html
