A recent study shows that problems with bone fractures are becoming a big problem for older people. It becomes difficult for their bones to heal after a fracture because of the insufficient calcium level in their body.
However, it was also discovered that this time, a new drug is being developed to promote faster bone healing and help elderly people get better quickly after suffering a fracture.
By using samples from people who undergo hip replacement surgery, experts from the University of Southampton were able to reveal that the drug create other bone cells by dividing the stem cells found inside the bone itself. This drug is a protein that triggers a molecular pathway, "Wnt", involved in controlling the growth of the stem cells responsible for tissue restoration following an injury.
A spokesperson from the university explained that the Wnt pathwat can be found throughout the animal kingdom, and it has a very basic role in animal development and disease. It functions to control stem cells', which we all know as key cells in the restoration of tissues after injuries, growth. Animals that can be an example of this is in amphibians like salamanders. These animals grow a new leg whenever they lose one.
Associate professor in bioengineering, Dr. Nick Evans says that the problem of fractures in society is dramatically rising with 10% of the total number of fractures recovering in more than 6months or never healing at all. In most cases, these fractures result to multiple operations, and in worst case scenario, even amputation.
Dr. Evans also hopes that through this research, they will be able to find a way to chemically trigger Wnt signals using drugs. They hope to achieve this by delivering the proteins and other molecules that signals a change in the Wnt pathway into the stem cells in the bone. They believe that this will cure many diseases in the bones and also hasten healing after a fracture. Unfortunately, they found that is the Wnt pathway will be activated for a long period of time, it loses its regenerative property or sometimes reverses.
"This is why it is particularly important to develop technologies for timed and targeted delivery, which is what we have done in this research." Dr. Evans said.
