Biomater. SCI.: it is found that eggshell can help bone growth and treat bone damage

July 31, 2019 / BIOON / - a team of researchers at UMass Lowell found that eggshells can promote the growth of new and strong bones needed in medical operations Gulden CAMCI unal, assistant professor and director of the study, said the technology developed by UMass Lowell could one day be used to repair the bones of patients injured by aging, accidents, cancer and other diseases, or for military combat Photo source: Biomaterials Science, through this innovative process, inserts crushed eggshells into a hydrogel mixture to form a micro framework for planting bone in bone marrow transplantation in the laboratory To do this, the researchers took bone cells from patients, introduced the substance, cultured them in incubators, and implanted new bone into patients Studies have shown that when eggshell particles (mainly made from calcium carbonate) are incorporated into the hydrogel mixture, they increase the growth and sclerosing ability of bone cells, which may lead to faster healing According to Camci-Unal, because bones are made from cells extracted from patients, the individual's immune system is much less likely to reject new materials The process can also be used to help grow cartilage, teeth and tendons, she said This is the first study to use eggshell particles to repair bones in hydrogel matrix Researchers have patented it, and they are very excited about the results CAMCI unal added that one day, eggshell particles can also be used as carriers to deliver proteins, peptides, growth factors, genes and drugs to the human body UMass Lowell students involved in the study included sanika suvarnapathaki, Wu Xinchen and darlin lantigua, PhD students in biomedical engineering and biotechnology Wu is the lead author of the team's findings, which have been published in the journal Biological Science and will be published on this month's printed cover Using eggshells to support bone growth provides a sustainable way to use them again while advancing the technology behind these procedures, the researchers said Millions of tons of waste are produced every year from eggshells discarded in household and commercial cooking around the world By reusing them, we can directly benefit the economy and the environment while providing sustainable solutions for unmet clinical needs This is not the first time that CAMCI unal has used unconventional methods to design new materials for biomedical engineering Last year, she and her team used the principles behind origami - Japan's ancient origami art - as inspiration to build tiny three-dimensional structures in which biomaterials can grow in laboratories and create new organizations Reference: gulden CAMCI unal et al Eggshell particle reinforced hydraulics for bone titanium Engineering: an orthogonal approach Biomater SCI., 2019, 72675-2685 Doi: 10.1039/c9bm00230h