Ceramic implants can regenerate broken bones

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

• A bone replacement following a fracture, it is often based on a metal part.
• But metal parts are sometimes toxic over time, and will not help the original bone regrow.
• The Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) research found that, Calcium phosphate ceramics are in principle an ideal alternative to conventional metals because bone can eventually replace the ceramic and regrow.
• Calcium phosphate ceramics are substitutes for the bone mineral hydroxyapatite.
• TMDU and collaborators have studied the transformation of a ceramic into the bone mineral.
• However, applications of such ceramics in medical settings have been limited, because there is insufficient control over the rate of absorption and replacement by bone after implantation.
• The researchers have reported that most of the studied ceramics underwent chemical transformations into particulate or fibrous hydroxyapatite within a few days
• Now with specific chemical knowledge on how to tailor the rate of hydroxyapatite growth from calcium phosphate ceramics – the knowledge will be useful for bench researchers and medical practitioners to more effectively collaborate on tailoring bone reformation rates under medically relevant conditions.