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A bioengineering breakthrough which helps repair damaged bones without causing the negative side effects of other treatments could lead to better results for patients, according to new research. Scientists at Glasgow University have found a new way to harness the healing effect of ‘growth factors’ – naturally-occurring molecules which help the body to regenerate. They believe the discovery could support the development of new treatments to help people living with serious skeletal injuries or cancer patients who have lost bone to the disease to regrow bone tissue.

READ MORE: Scotland has second highest rate of broken bones in the UK 'Pandemic of frailty' in the wake of Covid lockdowns, says ageing expert Dog's leg saved from amputation by bone restoration study Growth factors play an important role in developmental biology, helping to organise the development of bodies as they grow from infancy into adulthood. They also help the body to heal after injuries, where they initiate a complex series of processes which knit tissues back together. However, growth factor therapies can have serious side-effects when used to heal bones.



Active proteins need to be administered in high doses at the site of bone breaks or defects in order to be effective. Uncontrolled release of these active growth factors at the site of bone implant can cause bone formation where it is unintended – a process known as ectopic bone formation. The treatments can also cause other side effects like post.

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