Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have recently developed a new biomaterial made entirely from an unexpected source: discarded bullfrog skin and fish scales. The new material could help in bone repair.
This biomaterial is porous, and contains the same compounds that are predominant in bones. Acting as a platform for bone-forming cells to adhere to and multiply, it could lead to the formation of new bone.
Through laboratory experiments, the NTU Singapore team found that human bone forming cells planted onto the biomaterial scaffold successfully attached themselves and started multiplying, a sure sign of growth.
The researchers also found that the risk of the biomaterial triggering an inflammatory response is low. Such a scaffold could prove to be helpful in the regeneration of bone tissue lost to disease or injury, such as jaw defects from trauma or cancer surgery. It could also be employed to assist bone growth around surgical implants such as dental implants.
Thus far, the research team has filed patents for the biomaterial’s wound healing and bone tissue engineering applications. The team is now further evaluating the long-term safety and efficacy of the biomaterial as dental products under a grant from the ChinaSingapore International Joint Research Institute and aims to bring the waste-to-resource technological pipeline closer to commercialisation.
