Study says patient blood could repair broken bones

Alvaro Mata, who is professor in biomedical engineering and biomaterials at the University of Nottingham

A patient's own blood could be used to help create a material potentially capable of repairing their broken bones, new research suggests.

Scientists at the University of Nottingham have transformed blood into a substance that successfully repaired bones in animals, paving the way for personalised 3D-printed implants.

They suggest the new material has the potential to create regenerative blood products that could be used as effective therapies to treat injury and disease.

Prof Alvaro Mata, who led the study, said: "This 'biocooperative' approach opens opportunities to develop regenerative materials by harnessing and enhancing mechanisms of the natural healing process."

Peptide molecules can guide key processes which take place as the body naturally heals

"Here, we have taken an approach to try to work with biology instead of recreating it," he added.

Researchers from the schools of pharmacy and chemical engineering at the university used specific molecules - called peptide molecules - that can guide key processes that take place as the body naturally heals, to create living materials that enhance tissue regeneration.

Dr Cosimo Ligorio, co-author of the study, said: "The possibility to easily and safely turn people's blood into highly regenerative implants is really exciting.

"Blood is practically free and can be easily obtained from patients in relatively high volumes.

"Our aim is to establish a toolkit that could be easily accessed and used within a clinical setting to rapidly and safely transform patients' blood into rich, accessible, and tuneable regenerative implants."

More research

In most people, their body has evolved to regenerate wounds or broken bones, as long as these are small in size.

But the healing process is complex, and the initial stages rely on liquid blood forming something called the solid regenerative haematoma (RH) - essentially a blood clot - which contains key ingredients necessary for regeneration.

In the new study, published in Advanced Materials, the team developed a self-assembling system where synthetic peptides are mixed with blood taken from the patient to create a material that uses key molecules, cells and mechanisms of the natural healing process.

This made it possible to engineer regenerative materials capable of not only mimicking the natural RH, but also enhancing its properties, the experts say.

According to the study, these materials can be easily assembled, manipulated and even 3D-printed while maintaining normal functions of the natural RH.

Using this method, the team has successfully repaired bone in animal models using the animal's own blood.

The team stress, however, that much more research is needed.