Therapeutic properties of bioactive glass

Reference	Presenter	Authors (Institution)	Abstract
10-076	Julian Raymond Jones	Jones, J.R.(Imperial College);	Bioglass has been used in more than a million patients worldwide for bone regeneration, but only recently have medical device companies been able to claim its therapeutic properties, which are attributed to its dissolution products stimulating cells. Bioglass can stimulate bone regeneration by stimulating bone cells. BonAlive can treat osteomyelitis (infection of the bone marrow) where antibiotics have failed. Now scaffolds for large bone defects can be 3D printed. The structure of the glass determines its therapeutic properties. Through careful control of the composition, the connectivity of the silicate network, which determines ion release and the amorphous structure of the glass can be maintained. Additional therapeutic cations can also be added, such as strontium that is beneficial for osteoporosis, and cobalt that can promote blood vessel growth. The most important development of the last year was FDA approval of borate glasses that have been spun into fine fibres for wound healing applications. Sol-gel nanoparticles can be used to deliver cargo into cells. Bioactive glass nanoparticles can be used as reservoirs of active ions to deliver therapeutic cargo into cells. However, ion incorporation is more challenging than expected but dissolution can be controlled through controlled nanoporosity.
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