Repairing bone and dental injuries is challenging for orthopedic and oral surgeons. In cases in which significant portions of the bone or tooth has been destroyed, grafted tissue can be used to repair the defect. However, tissues repaired using grafts are often weaker than the original tissue. The repaired tissue can be strengthened through remineralization, the process of depositing synthetic minerals, such as hydroxyapatite, at the site of repair, but this process has yet to be perfected. Because synthetic minerals must be deposited at the time of surgery but are required throughout the healing process, they are often deposited at very high, non-physiological concentrations. In turn, these high concentrations can actually impede the healing process. This technology provides a method to deliver vital remineralization compounds via synthetic vesicles that release minerals gradually over time, resulting in the deposition of physiologically normal levels of calcium chloride, sodium phosphate and betaglycerophosphate, which may speed and improve the repair of damaged bone and dental tissue.
Remineralization of damaged bone and teeth is usually achieved with surgical cements or scaffolds with highly concentrated hydroxyapatite, resulting in non-physiological conditions and the potential for tissue toxicity. By eliminating the need to apply highly concentrated remineralization compounds directly to the wounded tissue at the time of surgery, this technology may significantly improve the extent and duration of bone and tooth healing. Synthetic vesicle-based delivery allows for a steady, low-concentration dose over the course of the healing process, providing conditions much closer to normal physiological conditions, making this method less likely to cause tissue toxicity at the site of repair. The synthetic vesicles described in this technology can be easily incorporated into existing cement and scaffold formulations and may promote faster and better healing of bone and dental injuries, decreasing the need for costly and potentially dangerous revision surgeries.
Patent Pending
Tech Ventures Reference: CU12195