New Method for Tissue Regeneration, Inspired by Nature

Tissue Regeneration through Vesicles

Elderly people as well as many others have suffered bone damage, teeth problems and the like at some point in their lives. While in elderly people, the occurrence of such problems may be common place, there is still a percentage of middle age as well youth who go through bone related issues in their lives.

Repairing bones, teeth and cartilage today is not a cheap affair. Methods involving one’s own cells to regenerate tissue or methods involving tissue taken from other patients are all very expensive and have associated problems to the patient like patient morbidity.

Having bone related issues can affect a person’s quality of life detrimentally. Research shows that by the year 2020 bone fractures would have gone up to such an extent that the incoming patients would put a tremendous strain on healthcare facilities. It also shows that fractures caused by osteoporosis alone will cost the NHS a whopping 1.5 billion pounds to handle, not to mention the effect it would have on a person’s quality of life.

Given all of the above, it is time to look at other methods to regenerate tissue growth in an individual and scientists have done just that. Researchers have stimulated cells to make nano- sized particles called vesicles to regenerate tissue. This method of tissue regeneration can be used to repair teeth, cartilage and bone.

In the past researchers have used cell based methods to regenerate tissue but this process involved a lot of costs, regulatory issues and raised ethical objections. But with this new method of tissue regeneration using vesicles, all these issues are overcome. Tissue regeneration using this novel method uses the natural vesicles that are made during bone formation itself and does not take viable cells.

This new method of tissue regeneration using extracellular vesicles is combined with a phosphate. This type of tissue regeneration far out performs the current gold standards of tissue regeneration.
Although science cannot at this stage replicate cells in exactly the natural way it occurs in our bodies, this new approach at tissue regeneration allows researchers to move in the right direction and look to improve on methods to regenerate tissues in bones, teeth and cartilage.

This novel method uses our own body’s healing process to regenerate tissue. Right now current methods are lacking, in the sense that they cause patient morbidity and have other side effects that are all detrimental to a person’s health.