• Question: What's the difference between the way your trying to heal bones and the way doctors do it now?

    Asked by AmeliaaButeraa to Lizzie on 25 Jun 2015.
    • Photo: Elizabeth Kapasa

      Elizabeth Kapasa answered on 25 Jun 2015:

      Hi Amelia, that s a great question!

      The ‘gold standard’ i.e. the best method for repairing bone defects is using an autograft which is taking bone from somewhere else in your body – typically your pelvis or tibia. But then you’ve broken another bone! And tissue dies there and there is pain too so that obviously isn’t ideal.

      Another method is using an allograft which is from a cadaver but these aren’t as successful as autografts.

      My method is essentially growing a bone graft in the lab to use to implant instead!

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