Engineering a better way to heal broken bones

A background on bone tissue engineering is provided and the integration of stem cells, natural and synthetic biomaterials, and some novel strategies for fracture repair, are discussed. Studies demonstrate that there is an ideal range of forces that must be exerted on the healing bone to successfully form new bone tissue. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are found to provide structural and signaling support to the surrounding marrow cells, essentially forming the niche within which blood stem cells reside. Collagen can be obtained from human cadaver or animal tissues, and in viva studies have demonstrated its success at promoting cell growth on the substrate and cell integration into wound sites. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is able to form a biological gel at or below body, and can be used in emergency medical situations, as it can be classified by blood type and stored as a frozen supplement for tissue repair in a kit-like manner.