A new study led by Southampton scientists could allow the development of new and better treatments for broken bones and other orthopaedic problems associated with ageing. Fractures, bone loss due to trauma or disease and other orthopaedic conditions pose a significant clinical and socioeconomic problem, especially with an ageing population, but as yet there is no large-scale, effective treatment for replacing or repairing damaged bones.
Researchers at the University, working alongside colleagues from Keele, Imperial College London and Nottingham universities, will combine stem cell science and tissue engineering to look at the development and repair of human skeletal tissue. The research is funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.
Project leader Professor Richard Oreffo, from the University’s School of Medicine, says: “Despite intense research, significant challenges for the reconstruction of tissues such as bone remain. A key requirement for these regeneration strategies to succeed remains our ability to understand skeletal cell activity, develop appropriate scaffolds (a material structure on which cells grow) and to understand how the environment the cells find themselves in affects their ability to interact with other cells to form new bone or cartilage.”
Other University of Southampton sites
