Context: 

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between IIT Kanpur and Conlis Global (Canada based- biotech company)  for the licensing of the new technology that facilitates bone regeneration.

Bone Regeneration Technology: By IIT Kanpur

• Technology Name: The technology is titled ‘Nano Hydroxyapatite-Based Porous Polymer Composite Scaffolds for Bioactive Molecule Delivery in Musculoskeletal Regeneration’. 
• Principle: The technology facilitates bone regeneration in a biocompatible manner by acting as a carrier for bone-active biomolecules, delivering them directly to the site of an implant:
• Developed By: Prof. Ashok Kumar and his team from the Department of Biological Sciences & Bioengineering at IIT Kanpur developed the technology.

Features of Bone Regeneration Technology

• The Nano-Hydroxyapatite-based Porous Composite Scaffolds are biodegradable.
• It has two main properties for bone regeneration
  • Osteoinductive (bone healing process).

• • Osteopromotive (material for new bone growth).
• Biocompatible: The material is safe and promotes good interaction with bone-building cells (osteoblasts).
• Strong and Functional: It combines high mechanical strength with optimized interaction between its components.
• Large Defect Repair: Suitable for filling significant bone defects without compromising essential features like connectivity, structure, oxygen supply, and blood flow.
• Enhanced Healing: Promotes tissue formation, mineralisation, and faster healing of bone defects.

Benefits Of Bone Regeneration Technology

• Body-Friendly Material:

  • Safe body material: The scaffolds are made from materials that are safe for the body, reducing the chances of causing harm or discomfort.
    • This allows bone-building cells called osteoblasts to work better and promote bone growth.

• Improved Bone Growth:

  • Structure: The scaffolds have tiny pores that provide a suitable environment for cells to attach, grow, and differentiate, resembling the natural bone structure.
  • Enhancement of bone formation and strength: They also contain nano-hydroxyapatite, similar to the mineral component of bones, which enhances bone formation and strength.

• Controlled Drug Delivery:

  • Bone healing aid: These scaffolds can carry special medicines or growth factors that aid bone healing.
  • Minimal side effects: These medicines are released slowly at the injury site, ensuring targeted delivery and effectiveness while minimizing side effects.

• Addressing Large Bone Defects:

  • Filling large holes in the body: Due to their strength and ability to carry medicines, these scaffolds can effectively fill large holes in bones caused by injuries or diseases.

• Faster Healing and Better Recovery:

• • Accelerated healing process: By promoting cell growth and delivering medicines directly to the injured area, these scaffolds can accelerate the healing process of bone injuries.
    • This leads to quicker recovery times and improved patient outcomes, reducing their reliance on prolonged medical treatment.

Drawbacks Of Bone Regeneration Technology

• Risk of Unexpected Immune Response:

  • While these materials are generally considered safe for the body, there’s a possibility of the body reacting negatively to them, leading to inflammation or rejection.

• Limited Data on Long-Term Effectiveness: 

• • Although initial studies are promising, there’s not enough long-term data on how well these scaffolds work and how safe they are for humans. Therefore, there is a need for more clinical trials. 

News Source: Hindustan Times