According to statistics, about 40% of women and 20% of men over 50 experience at least one osteoporotic fracture. According to scientists, most people with osteoporosis do not realize the seriousness of their condition, although a hip fracture is associated with a 20% mortality rate in the elderly, and more than half of people after such a fracture never return to their usual lifestyle.
Current therapy is aimed at preventing the rate of resorption of old bone, as well as stimulating regeneration, but even together, both treatment strategies give the first results after about a year. In search of a solution, scientists from the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne have created an injectable hydrogel for a rapid, localized increase in bone density.
The hydrogel consists of nanoparticles of hyaluronic acid and hydroxyapatite and is designed to mimic natural minerals in bones. When scientists tested the hydrogel in mice with osteoporosis, bone density increased by 2-3 times.
The combined action strategy of hydrogel and zoledronate turned out to be more effective: in 2-4 weeks, bone density increased 5 times.
The team is currently awaiting approval of a clinical trial application. If the efficacy is confirmed in patients with osteoporosis, the new therapy could become a breakthrough treatment for this severe chronic disease.
Meanwhile, scientists in the UK have discovered a new mechanism that blocks the formation of new bone tissue. They plan to create a treatment to stimulate the natural process to trigger bone regeneration.