Secret ingredient: nanoparticles aid bone growth Nanotube-
reinforced material produces denser bone tissue In the first
study of its kind, bioengineers and bioscientists at Rice
University and Radboud University in Nijmegen, Netherlands, have
shown they can grow denser bone tissue by sprinkling stick-like
nanoparticles throughout the porous material used to pattern the
bone. The research is available online and slated to appear in
the journal Bone. It's the latest breakthrough from the
burgeoning field of tissue engineering. The new discipline
combines the latest research in materials science and biomedical
engineering to produce tissues that can be transplanted without
risk of rejection. To grow new bone, tissue engineers typically
place bone cells on porous, biodegradable materials called
scaffolds, which act as patterns. With the right chemical and
physical cues, the cells can be coaxed into producing new bone.
As the scaffold degrades, it is replaced by new bone. "Ideally,
a scaffold should be highly porou