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Scientists naturally develop human bone in a lab for the first time

The bone grown using stem cells from the patient's own bone marrow can be an alternative to painful graft surgeries for fixing broken bones.

Several injuries and ailments require people to go through complex procedures which can help them but are also painful. But thanks to the steady progress in medical science, people can look forward to less painful and more effective alternatives to these operations.

In a breakthrough that may allow people to do away with painful bone graft surgeries; scientists have naturally developed a human bone in a laboratory for the first time ever. Millions undergo risky bone graft surgeries where a part of the hip is removed for joint replacements or fixing broken bones.

Now scientists have successfully come up with a way to grow a bone using cells from the patients own bone marrow. By providing 1000 nanokicks a second, researchers caused cells to turn into a bone through vibration.

Human trials for the bone are still three years away and it will be available for patients within a decade. Graft surgeries which patients are currently required to undergo pose a risk of infections.

Stem cells extracted from the bone marrow will create a bone that will grow naturally within the body and can also be used to create cartilage, muscles, ligaments and tendons. They are safer in comparison to chemical soups previously used by scientists to grow bones.

( Source : deccan chronicle )
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