According to statistics, approximately 40% of women and 20% of men over 50 experience at least one osteoporotic fracture. Scientists believe that most people with osteoporosis do not realize the seriousness of their condition, even though a hip fracture is associated with a 20% mortality rate in the elderly, and more than half of people who suffer such a fracture never return to their normal lifestyle.
Existing therapies aim to slow the rate of old bone resorption and stimulate regeneration. However, even when combined, both treatment strategies take approximately a year to produce initial results. In search of a solution, scientists from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) have created an injectable hydrogel for rapid, localized bone density enhancement.
The hydrogel consists of hyaluronic acid and hydroxyapatite nanoparticles and is designed to mimic natural bone minerals. When scientists tested the hydrogel in mice with osteoporosis, bone density increased two- to threefold.
A more effective strategy was the combination of hydrogel and zoledronate: bone density increased 5-fold in 2-4 weeks.
The team is currently awaiting approval for a pilot clinical trial. If its efficacy is confirmed in patients with osteoporosis, the new therapy could become a breakthrough treatment for this severe chronic disease.
Meanwhile, UK scientists have discovered a new mechanism that blocks the formation of new bone tissue. They plan to develop a treatment to stimulate this natural process to initiate bone regeneration.
