Scientists from the Medical University of Gdańsk obtained a patent for a material that enables a more effective treatment of bone infections. The hybrid material destroys bacteria and supports tissue regeneration.
Dr. Magdalena Prokopowicz and Dr. Adrian Szewczyk from the university’s Department of Physical Chemistry have just obtained a Polish patent for the invention 'Pharmaceutical composition for bone tissue implantation, the method of its preparation, and its use for the treatment and/or regeneration of bone tissue'.
The patented material is composed of spherical pellets that support the treatment of bacterial bone infections.
The innovative solution consists of combining mesoporous silica material with adsorbed antibiotics and bio-glass with high mineralisation properties. The result is a bifunctional material with antimicrobial activity that supports bone tissue regeneration.
Well-developed production methods can be used to produce the pellets.
The authors of the invention point out that the number of cases of osteomyelitis has tripled in the last 40 years. At the same time, they explain, necrotic changes resulting from bone infection can be seen in an X-ray examination only after 50-75 percent of the bone matrix is destroyed.
The research on the invention was carried out as part of the OPUS 15 competition. If the researchers secure funds in further competitions announced by the National Science Centre and the National Centre for Research and Development, they plan to expand research with in vivo models.
PAP - Science in Poland
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