A team of researchers at the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell) discovered that eggshells can promote the growth of new, strong bones needed for medical procedures.
Research leader and assistant professor Gulden Camci-Unal (Gulden Camci-Unal) said that this technology developed by UMassLowell could one day repair the bones of patients injured by aging, accidents, cancer and other diseases , And can be used in military combat.
Through this innovative method, broken eggshells are inserted into the hydrogel mixture to form a micro-frame, and the bones used for bone transplantation are implanted in the laboratory. To this end, researchers remove bone cells from the patient, introduce the substance, and then incubate it in an incubator, and then transplant the new bone into the patient. According to research, the incorporation of eggshell particles (mainly made of calcium carbonate) into the hydrogel mixture can increase the growth and hardening capacity of bone cells, thereby allowing faster healing. According to Camci-Unal, bones are produced from cells extracted from the patient's body, greatly reducing the possibility of the human immune system rejecting new substances. She said this process can also be used to help the growth of cartilage, teeth and tendons.
This is the first study to use eggshell particles in a hydrogel matrix to repair bones. Researchers have applied for the patent and are very excited about the results. Camci-Unal added that one day eggshell particles can also serve as carriers for the delivery of proteins, peptides, growth factors, genes and drugs to the human body. UMassLowell students participating in this research include Sanika Suvarnapathaki, WuXinchen and Darlin Lantigua, who are doctoral students in the fields of biomedical engineering and biotechnology. Wu is the lead author of the research team’s findings, which have been published in the academic journal "Biomaterials Science" and will be published on the cover of this month's print edition. Researchers say that using eggshells to support bone growth provides a sustainable way to reuse eggshells while promoting the technology behind these procedures.
Millions of tons of waste are generated every year from eggshells discarded from household and commercial tableware. By reusing them, you can directly benefit the economy and the environment, while providing sustainable solutions for unmet clinical needs.
Camci-Unal is not the first time that non-traditional methods have been used to design a new material for biomedical engineering. Last year, she and her team used the principles behind origami (an ancient Japanese art of origami) as inspiration to allow biological materials to grow in the laboratory to create new tissues.