Saturday, October 19, 2013

UCLA School of Dentistry Endorses Diamonds

A new study being conducted at UCLA has discovered that microscopic nanodiamonds can be used to improve the durability of dental implants and promote bone growth

The study results are published online in the peer-reviewed Journal of Dental Research. The research was conducted at the Jane and Jerry Weintraub Center for Reconstructive Biotechnology at the UCLA School of Dentistry. Co-director and professor of oral biology and medicine, Dr. Dean Ho, led the study. Scientists from the UCLA School of Dentistry, UCLA Department of Bioengineering and Northwestern University contributed to the study in collaboration with the NanoCarbon Research Institute in Japan.

Nanodiamonds are a byproduct of diamond mining and refining operations that are invisible to the human eye at four to five nanometers in diameter and formed like miniature soccer balls. During costly and time-consuming bone repair operations doctors use invasive surgery to administer proteins, such as bone morphogenic protein, that promote bone growth. Using nanodiamonds to deliver these proteins, Ho's team discovered, delivers these proteins more effectively. Moreover, nanodiamonds can be administered in an oral rinse or by an injection, non-invasively.

Nanodiamonds bind quickly to both fibroblast growth factor and bone morphogenetic protein. The proteins can be delivered simultaneously using one medium. Another advantage of using nanodiamonds is their unique surface promotes slow delivery of the proteins, over a longer period, to the affected area to be treated. "Nanodiamonds are versatile platforms," said Ho. "Because they are useful for delivering such a broad range of therapies, nanodiamonds have the potential to impact several other facets of oral, maxillofacial and orthopedic surgery, as well as regenerative medicine." Dr. Dean Ho is also professor of bioengineering and a member of the California NanoSystems Institute and the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.

M.D.-Ph.D. student at Northwestern University, under the mentorship of Dr. Ho and first author of the study, Laura Moore says, "We've conducted several comprehensive studies, in both cells and animal models, looking at the safety of the nanodiamond particles. Initial studies indicate that they are well tolerated, which further increases their potential in dental and bone repair applications."   

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