World's First Biodegradable Joint Implant Grows New Joints

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World's First Biodegradable Joint Implant Grows New Joints

Posted by samzenpus on Thursday March 1, 2012 @10:34PM from the a-better-you dept.

cylonlover writes "Joint implants should always be made of materials like titanium, so they can last the lifetime of the patient ... right? Well, not according to researchers at Finland's Tampere University of Technology. They've developed a product known as RegJoint, which is reportedly the world's first biodegradable joint implant. Unlike permanent implants, it allows the patient's bone ends to remain intact, and it creates a new joint out of their own tissue."

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Did anyone else think... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-01 22:39 · Score: 3, Funny

They were talking about Marijuana?
1. Re:Did anyone else think... by mooingyak · 2012-03-02 01:57 · Score: 2
  
  First thought through my head was "Isn't it illegal to grow joints?"
  
  --
  William of Ockham had no beard. The most likely explanation is that it was chewed off by squirrels every morning.
2. Re:Did anyone else think... by cupantae · 2012-03-02 04:52 · Score: 2
  
  Black swan. Only a fool would answer no to that question.
  Besides, some of us are high right now, you insensitive clod.
  
  --
  --
3. Re:Did anyone else think... by Eponymous+Hero · 2012-03-05 10:26 · Score: 1
  
  the same people worry about pineapples falling from trees.
  
  --
  insensitive clod overlords obligatory xkcd car analogy russian reversals whoosh pedant fanbois ftfy in 3...2...1..PROFIT
Re:Porn Use? by neokushan · 2012-03-01 22:44 · Score: 3, Funny

If your Penis has joints in it, you've got more serious concerns.

--
+1 IDisagreeSoHeMustBeATrollOrAnAstroturferOrAShill
The details by arnoldo.j.nunez · 2012-03-01 22:47 · Score: 5, Interesting

So I'll save anyone wanting to read the article for scientific details the trouble: they don't even mention the material used!

So I searched around and found this. http://www.scaffdex.com/sites/default/files/RegJoint_IfU_rev_0_1.pdf

I thought I knew polymers, but my biochemistry is a bit weak. 96L/4D poly-L/D-lactide copolymer fiber. Seems to be porous, is that the key to making a bodily joint?

Apparently it loses it strength as quickly as within 15 to 24 weeks and then completely loses its strength within a few years. Meanwhile, your body is allowed a framework to develop around after physical trauma.
1. Re:The details by dbIII · 2012-03-01 23:27 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  I went to a presentation about materials in joints around 1998 and one very interesting point was raised by a Japanese researcher.
  Hard joints grind your bone ends into bits. Hundreds of millions of little bits. It does things to the immune system (which attacks solid bone in such situations after being fooled by lots of tiny bits of bone) and creates extra wear on any cartlidge, tendons or anything else in the vicinity. We are bags of mostly water so that stuff doesn't stay put. The life of the joint depends on both it's structure and the damage to the surrounds, which can be measured in inches/centimetres so the replacement joint has to be a lot larger.
  At the time making the surface of a joint very porous and relatively soft was the way things were going since it's now expected that people with artificial joints will live for more than a decade after the joint is put in place. The old style of using very hard materials in direct contact with bone doesn't last long enough.
2. Re:The details by muon-catalyzed · 2012-03-01 23:41 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  I read TFA and they claim the damaged joint structure regenerates by itself, the copolymer is a scaffold that triggers stem cells to grow a brand new joint structure completely replacing the said copolymer with the body's own tissue after a while. In other words, that would be the holy grail of joint repair, of course, only if the stuff is really working as advertised.
3. Re:The details by Ihmhi · 2012-03-02 01:01 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  I'd rather have some kind of hybrid, like a titanium kneecap with this polymer connecting the end joints.
  Dammit, if I'm going to get body parts replaced when I'm older I want to be able to knee someone in the head and have it sound like an aluminum bat hitting a soft ball. *tink!*
  
  --
  Random Thoughts From A Diseased Mind (Not For Dummies)
4. Re:The details by nitehawk214 · 2012-03-02 04:08 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  I'd rather have some kind of hybrid, like a titanium kneecap with this polymer connecting the end joints.
  Dammit, if I'm going to get body parts replaced when I'm older I want to be able to knee someone in the head and have it sound like an aluminum bat hitting a soft ball. *tink!*
  So the spectator sport of cybernetic combat will actually take the form of geriatric men brawling.
  I still think it will sell, though.
  
  --
  I'm a good cook. I'm a fantastic eater. - Steven Brust
5. Re:The details by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-02 08:37 · Score: 0
  
  Dislocated my big toe in high school, hurt like hell, popped it back in shortly after, and didn't think too much about it...until 40 years later. Now the joint over the "ball of my foot" is swollen with osteoarthritis, hard to find shoes to accommodate the bump and painful to walk any distance. No other arthritis symptoms so it certanly seems like this is a result of damage from the injury.
  I've been looking at joint implants, but because foot injuries heal very slowly, the idea of being off my foot for months to fix the toe joint is not appealing. If anyone knows about this new process, please post links. In particular, interested in USA applications--would rather not travel to Europe for the surgery and then return while still on the mend.
Re:Porn Use? by cosm · 2012-03-01 22:49 · Score: 5, Funny

If your Penis has joints in it, you've got more serious concerns.
Like which axial direction to articulate in? One direction could lead to a new baby while the other will have you questioning the bars you've been going to.

--
'We are trying to prove ourselves wrong as quickly as possible, because only in that way can we find progress.' RPF
Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by Thanshin · 2012-03-01 22:55 · Score: 2

I wonder what's stoppiong us from creating bones made of bone with stem cells.
1. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-01 22:59 · Score: 0
  
  Due to the fact that stem cell research is being restricted or banned, in various degrees, across the world, and that reduces the number of researchers, resources and research avenues dedicated to it.
2. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by Thanshin · 2012-03-01 23:05 · Score: 2
  
  Due to the fact that stem cell research is being restricted or banned, in various degrees, across the world, and that reduces the number of researchers, resources and research avenues dedicated to it.
  Yes. Sorry. I was being sarcastic but went too far in the obfuscation.
  What I meant is: Why in hell are are we accepting living in a shittier world just because we've decided not to let scientists keeping us moving forward? Why are we so afraid of knowledge? Why are we so damn stupid?
  Fortunately the human race isn't competing with an alien race of similar opportunities but less inclined to ignore them in favor of irrationality.
3. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by emilper · 2012-03-01 23:07 · Score: 1
  
  in which country is stem cell research banned or restricted ?
4. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by antero_h__ · 2012-03-01 23:14 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Fortunately the human race isn't competing with an alien race of similar opportunities but less inclined to ignore them in favor of irrationality.
  ...and what makes you think we aren't?
5. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by ByOhTek · 2012-03-01 23:15 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Really, it is only embryonic stem cells that ever have an issue here with banning/restriction. That isn't nearly as much of a setback now as it was 3-4 years ago. Even if you ignore the ethical issues, the setback is probably worth it - it has accelerated the development of techniques for "undifferentiated" adult stem cells so they can create more cell lineages than they could have naturally. Why is this a big deal? What kind of rejection issues will you have to face when your new transplant comes from another person's tissue? Now, what if it comes from your own? That's the advantage.
  
  --
  Self proclaimed typo king, and inventor of the bear destroying coffee table (patent not pending).
6. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by sheepe2004 · 2012-03-01 23:39 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  As I understand it the problem is in the other stuff that surround the cells (disclaimer: I only did one very short course on tissue engineering).
  
  Basically it's a chicken and egg problem: the stem cells need a good structure to grow in but the structure needs to be created by the cells. A solution is to create an implant which allows the cells to grow within it and then gracefully degrades as it is replaced by the natural bone/collagen etc. which seems to be what these guys have done.
  
  It's a difficult (materials science) problem because there are a lot of requirements. For example it needs to be as tough as bone but break down after a reasonable amount of time. It needs to be non-toxic (before and after breaking down). It of course needs to be cheap(ish) and reasonably easy to mass produce. Anyway there's much more information here.
  
  --
  http://compsoc.man.ac.uk/~shep/
7. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by foniksonik · 2012-03-02 01:36 · Score: 1
  
  Technically it doesn't have to be as hard as bone if the recipient wears a brace or stays off the affected area. Anything that would have the other properties will likely be strong enough and hard enough to support the regrowth period.
  
  --
  A fool throws a stone into a well and a thousand sages can not remove it.
8. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by shadowrat · 2012-03-02 01:52 · Score: 1
  
  I wonder what's stoppiong us from creating bones made of bone with stem cells.
  Republicans.
9. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by pnewhook · 2012-03-02 01:53 · Score: 1
  
  The crackpot Republicans effectively banned it in the US
  
  --
  Tesla was a genius. Edison however was a overrated hack who liked to torture puppies.
10. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by fedos · 2012-03-02 01:55 · Score: 0
  
  Germany, Austria, Italy, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Portugal, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, United States, New Zealand...
11. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by emilper · 2012-03-02 02:01 · Score: 1
  
  really ? last I heard they only refused to finance "human cell studies" with federal funds ...
12. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by emilper · 2012-03-02 02:02 · Score: 1
  
  meant _human stemm cell studies_
13. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-02 02:03 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stem_cell_laws_and_policy_in_the_United_States#Federal_law
  
  No federal law ever did ban stem cell research in the United States, but only placed restrictions on funding and use, under Congress's power to spend.
  The Corporations can spend $$$ on research if they want. Depending on what sort of stuff they want to do they might have to be careful about which US State they do it in.
  But hey don't let facts get in the way of your religious beliefs and prejudice.
14. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by wisnoskij · 2012-03-02 02:05 · Score: 1
  
  Or bone transplants,. I imagine it should be a lot easier to get a body to accept foreign but similar bone then some of the other organs they transplant regularly.
  But possibly the titanium bone is actually an improvement?
  
  --
  Troll is not a replacement for I disagree.
15. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by emilper · 2012-03-02 02:13 · Score: 1
  
  citation, please ?
16. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by mcgrew · 2012-03-02 02:30 · Score: 2
  
  Basically it's a chicken and egg problem
  There is no chicken and egg problem. Dinasaurs layed eggs, and chickens are descended from dinasaurs. The egg came first and everyone should know that by now.
  Besides, who has chicken for breakfast?
  Unfortunately, I saw a poll just this morning that said over half of people thought the chicken came first. There sure are a lot of uneducated people.
  
  --
  Free Martian Whores!
17. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by gandhi_2 · 2012-03-02 02:36 · Score: 1
  
  Man, you are so full of shit.
  What they did was try to prevent tax dollars being used to harvest unborn babies.
  There are tons of companies doing stem cell research, maybe you heard of one in (*gasp* - Republican) Texas recently that was doing illegal treatments of patients.
  Turns out there are many better ways to make stem cells than from embryos. Necessity being a mother and all that.
  
  --
  THL phish sticks
18. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by pnewhook · 2012-03-02 02:43 · Score: 1
  
  What they did was try to prevent tax dollars being used to harvest unborn babies.
  President Bush opposed embryonic stem cell research on ideological grounds. He exercised his first presidential veto on July 19, 2006 when he refused to allow H.R. 810 to become law. http://usliberals.about.com/od/stemcellresearch/a/HR810.htm
  That's got nothing to do with unborn babies, he opposed using the waste cells from IVF treatments.
  
  --
  Tesla was a genius. Edison however was a overrated hack who liked to torture puppies.
19. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by pnewhook · 2012-03-02 02:45 · Score: 1
  
  But hey don't let facts get in the way of your religious beliefs and prejudice.
  On March 9, 2009, President Barack Obama lifted, by Executive Order, the Bush administration's eight-year ban on federal funding of embryonic stem research. http://usliberals.about.com/od/stemcellresearch/a/ObamaEmbyBan.htm
  Maybe you should look at your own prejudiced religious beliefs before you accuse others.
  
  --
  Tesla was a genius. Edison however was a overrated hack who liked to torture puppies.
20. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by Ironhandx · 2012-03-02 02:56 · Score: 1
  
  Lets see nearly all of the countries inside the EU, the US, and Australia. Which eats up the majority of the R&D spending budgets globally.
  Leading research in the field is currently being done in China in less than optimal non-state-of-the-art facilities thanks to idiot religious fanatics now allowing embryonic stem cell research.
  The US has a loophole that allows using lines of stem cells created prior to their own ban, but it more often than not leads the US researchers off chasing wild geese. Instead of having a good set of empirical data providing good evidence that stem cell type B will grow into tissue C because the embryonic stem cells are very easy to differentiate, and then figuring out how to revert the patients own cells into the needed stem cell type, they're forced into guessing that "based on the genetic patterns in THREE lines of embryonic stem cells we think that this might happen if we start looking here."
  Contrary to popular belief amongst their detractors Embryonic stem cells will likely never be harvested en-masse to make cures available. We can't yet manipulate the DNA to be identical to anyone elses. At best they might be able to use a womans own eggs to produce a solution for that one woman.
  However, at this stage of the game while we are still largely on fact-finding missions embryonic stem cells are like hitting the jackpot. Only you have a few millions of idiots touting sanctity of life and such nonsense.
21. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by fast+turtle · 2012-03-02 02:58 · Score: 1
  
  Why in hell are are we accepting living in a shittier world just because we've decided not to let scientists keeping us moving forward?
  
  Because, sometimes, you have to force them to "work around the problem" just like the internet works around damage. A very good example of this revolves around the G.W.Bush executive order cutting stem cell research funds because the only stem cells being researched were from aborted fetuses. Now we've got the ability to revert skin cells back to stem cells becuase the scientists were forced to look at the alternatives instead of taking the easiest route.
  It wont always work but someone will come up with true Cold Fusion and it isn't going to be from one of the big names in science doing so as they are to used to things being done in a certain manner. Hell many of them are so locked into the mindset that they wouldn't even recognize "This is strange" and look at it. Instead they normalize their data and toss out the potential discovery of cold fusion, higgs bosun, contact by ET and a whole bunch of other things because it didn't fit the experimental model.
  Gods give me strength. It's more fun looking at some of the damn screwy results and trying to figure out where it came from. Most times it's a data error but sometimes it's trully anomolous and should be looked into further in case it offers a direction towards something interesting. How many Science Fiction Stories have been based upon the anomolous result that gives us FTL travel, Transporters, Replicators or Time Travel? To me, that's what is wrong with scientific research. It's become to formalized and stagnant, which is why the next real breakthrough is going to come completely out of the blue.
  
  --
  Mod me up/Mod me down: I wont frown as I've no crown
22. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-02 02:58 · Score: 0
  
  Adamantium bones are the bomb ... and retractable claws
23. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by kilfarsnar · 2012-03-02 03:02 · Score: 1
  
  But "harvesting unborn babies" sounds so much more diabolical!
  
  --
  "What the American public doesn't know is what makes them the American public." -Ray Zalinsky (Tommy Boy)
24. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-02 03:04 · Score: 0
  
  And yet, that is not a ban on stem cell research; simply cells from certain sources. There's nothing stopping research using, for example, adult stem cells.
  Agree with it or not, that's fine - but don't intentionally distort the truth.
25. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by kilfarsnar · 2012-03-02 03:04 · Score: 1
  
  As I understand it, the rooster came first. Sometimes he's just selfish like that!
  
  --
  "What the American public doesn't know is what makes them the American public." -Ray Zalinsky (Tommy Boy)
26. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-02 03:11 · Score: 0
  
  There's a distinct difference between embryonic stem cell research and adult stem cell research.
  It's sad that you can't see that there are two different things here.
27. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by emilper · 2012-03-02 03:15 · Score: 1
  
  I don't understand one thing: why not do it with embryonic cells from mice first ? or from monkeys ... why is it so important to use human cells right from the beginning ?
  the restrictions on federal funding are not about "sanctity of life", they are about the slippery slope of experimenting on humans
28. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by bruce_the_loon · 2012-03-02 03:19 · Score: 1
  
  Such short memories.
  http://science.slashdot.org/story/12/02/07/215239/fracture-putty-can-heal-a-broken-bone-in-days
  
  --
  Trying to become famous by taking photos. Visit my homepage please.
29. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by arkane1234 · 2012-03-02 03:52 · Score: 1
  
  Only human stem cell research is banned/restricted. "Artificial" stem cell research is in the works.
  
  --
  -- This space for lease, low setup fee, inquire within!
30. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by kanto · 2012-03-02 04:03 · Score: 1
  
  Doubt there's anything really stopping us, I've seen a science piece of a patient with a new jaw from his own stem cells.
  link to reuters story
31. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by Thing+1 · 2012-03-02 05:47 · Score: 1
  
  Ahem: broken window fallacy. We would be further along without roadblocks, progress in other areas notwithstanding.
  While I do applaud finding silver linings, it's more helpful to identify the root cause and address that. It is good that we are making progress, both in those other areas, and also in the ability to work with embryonic lines.
  Finally, the argument for stopping the embryonic work was not "so that we can develop better methods to help people"; it was "sky fairy said no!" (i.e., a religious "argument", which is neither scientific nor helpful).
  
  --
  I feel fantastic, and I'm still alive.
32. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by pnewhook · 2012-03-02 06:21 · Score: 1
  
  The problems with obtaining adult stem cells and even their limitation means an effective halt to most forms of stem cell research. Using embryonic stem cells especially when they would otherwise just be destroyed shouldn't be an issue and I'm glad that asinine presidential order got overturned.
  
  --
  Tesla was a genius. Edison however was a overrated hack who liked to torture puppies.
33. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by pnewhook · 2012-03-02 06:22 · Score: 1
  
  There's a distinct difference between embryonic stem cell research and adult stem cell research. It's sad that you can't see that there are two different things here.
  Yes the difference is adult stem cells are extremely difficult to harvest and not nearly as useful.
  
  --
  Tesla was a genius. Edison however was a overrated hack who liked to torture puppies.
34. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by tombeard · 2012-03-02 07:39 · Score: 1
  
  Besides, who has chicken for breakfast?
  http://www.bojangles.com/menu/item/20/cajun-filet-biscuit
  
  --
  The reason we subjugate ourselves to law is to better procure justice. If law does not accomplish this purpose then it m
35. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by Ironhandx · 2012-03-02 07:53 · Score: 1
  
  No, the real reason are religious beliefs.
  They use a slippery slope argument.
  The thing is, you're not experimenting on humans. They wont' even allow research on IVF leftovers, which are human embryo's that we literally toss into the bin. If they're going to be binned anyways...
  Mice AND Monkeys have been done already. In the 90's. They developed a lot of the techniques to manipulate the genes and stem cell stages from animal testing. You will never hear about the fact that its already gone through animal testing from the opponents to it however.
  The major thing is that its a new bio-tech that is VERY dependant on DNA being very similar, and by very similar, 99% is not enough. Orders of magnitude not enough. For real research you need to use embryonic stem cell research to advance state of the art stem cell development to where we can manipulate cells from various areas of the body into the stem cells we need in order to repair damage done to the body.
  Most of the work that NEEDS to be done on embryonic stem cells are the foundational work to learn how to properly differentiate stem cells into what we need them to be. The research is being done right now to learn how to get regular cells back into stem cell form but finishing that trick is still a decade or more off. Time we could be using to learn the rest of the process. Embryonic stem cells as a treatment was never the end game. They can work for certain things(and personally I'm all for using them for that) but the end-game is using your own cells to cure you. Doing so will have a MUCH higher success rate and lower side-effect rate.
  By opposing the research you are, in effect, merely wasting time. You probably have parents and/or grandparents.
  If they die in the next 5 years by something that could be cured by stem cells and you are still opposing stem cell research, you may as well have killed them yourself. Stem cells are as big a breakthrough for medical science as the computer was for transmitting information, materials research, and engineering. The more we know, the faster we know it, the more and faster things we can do. Stem cells and their surrounding technologies can cure not many, but MOST diseases that are currently considered incurable.
  Besides that, even the techniques that work in Monkeys and Mice may not(and in many cases has already been proven do not) work in humans. We are AT the human trial stage, and have been for many areas in stem cell research for the last 10+ years.
36. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by emilper · 2012-03-02 08:36 · Score: 1
  
  so, they can culture mice and monkey organs already ? ... or even simple tissue that has some medical use ? ... I guess not, because "they" can't even persuade a stem cell to do anything, or even know for sure that stem cells can be persuaded to do anything, or even what the blasted stem cells are ... this is the same as "cloning": there was no cloning done with animals yet, only transplated nuclei into ova, which _is not cloning_ in any sense of the word, because there is very important DNA that exists outside of the nucleus so the resulting animal is not an identical copy of the one that the nucleus was ripped from.
  The whole "human stem cell" business is just a scam: oh, we're saving lives here, give us your money ...
  first make it work with lizards, or fish, or no matter what vertebrate
  "They" should make it work with mice and I'm pretty sure everybody will give them money and sacrificial virgins and everything they want.
37. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by AmberBlackCat · 2012-03-02 09:47 · Score: 1
  
  That just turns it into a dinosaur and egg problem.
38. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by Ironhandx · 2012-03-02 12:37 · Score: 1
  
  One company has already made genetically identical clones in china already. They even gave some rabbits human DNA at one of the government labs. That one kicked up quite a fuss, I'm not sure why you didn't hear about it.
  Probably something to do with you sticking your fingers in your ears and yelling "nananana I can't hear you".
  A lot of the problem is the cutting edge research IS NOT happening in your back yard so you know nothing about it nowadays.
  As for mice, they've succesfully grown and transplanted whole livers into mice and they are working on monkeys now.
  http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/rethinking-healthcare/can-reprogrammed-cells-nix-the-need-for-liver-transplants/4449
  Not to mention the fact that an experimental stem cell treatment in the UK cured someone that was BLIND from a direct tissue injury that was previously completely incurable, and is still completely incurable by any other means.
  http://gizmodo.com/5433391/stem-cells-cure-blind-man
39. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by sjames · 2012-03-02 16:00 · Score: 1
  
  Yep. He wants excess embryos from IVF to be incinerated as medical waste the way God intended. I'm not sure what verse commanded that...
40. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by sjames · 2012-03-02 16:07 · Score: 1
  
  With bones come marrow and an entire immune system. It can probably be done but due to the risks, it's nothing like preferable.
  Besides that, joint replacement is not usually done because the bone failed, generally it's the cartilage that's the problem.
41. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-02 20:50 · Score: 0
  
  So the fact that all biomedical companies can do all the embryonic stem cell research they want, 24/7, spend as much money as they want to on it, and "bring forth" anything they want, and you call that a ban? A roadblock? But then after serious embryonic stem cell research going all the way back to the 1960s and almost nothing ever coming from it, you believe it has not been done, not allowed. You are a partisan hack who wants to score political points, not a scientist.
42. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by pnewhook · 2012-03-03 01:11 · Score: 1
  
  The Corporations can spend $$$ on research if they want.
  No. The way the law was written, if a corporation decided to do embryonic stem cell research, they would then lose ALL federal support for the entire company> This effectively shut down the stem cell research because of the financial impact
  
  --
  Tesla was a genius. Edison however was a overrated hack who liked to torture puppies.
43. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-03 11:49 · Score: 0
  
  As I understand it, the rooster came first. Sometimes he's just selfish like that!
  My cock is pretty selfish, too!
44. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by fedos · 2012-03-09 04:50 · Score: 1
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stem_cell_laws
45. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by emilper · 2012-03-09 05:33 · Score: 1
  
  "'stem cell research using the human embryo"
  Pretty narrow limitation, I would say ... nobody banned research using mouse embrions.
  The whole debate is beyond ludicrous, all is based on what we imagine we might be able to do with biotech, not on what we actually do with it: from the fine wikipedia article "India banned in 2004 reproductive cloning, permitted therapeutic cloning." ... good thing they did not ban traveling above warp 4.5 in inhabited star systems ...
46. Re:Why aren't we already using bone made bones? by fedos · 2012-03-12 06:40 · Score: 1
  
  The claim was that there are countries that "ban or restrict", and the request was for a list of that "banned or restricted". These countries restrict research.
  
  from the fine wikipedia article "India banned in 2004 reproductive cloning, permitted therapeutic cloning."
  
  And did you notice that I didn't include India? If you want to criticize the list that I provided then look only at the countries in my list. I specifically tailored it to not include countries that only restricts or bans cloning. This is why I gave the list to begin with instead of just linking to the Wikipedia site, something that took me less than two minutes to find so I don't know why you couldn't look up the list yourself in the first place.
  Seriously, so many people are quick to demand "citation, plz" for easy to find information about well-known facts that it dilutes the calls for evidence of the claims of absolute quacks.
Wait, what? by jtownatpunk.net · 2012-03-01 22:57 · Score: 1, Funny

Dude, I totally misread the headline. Thought it was something about joints that multiply. Bummer, man.
Re:Yo dawg I herd u liek by daem0n1x · 2012-03-01 23:11 · Score: 1

Does a joint implant give you a permanent high?
Re:Porn Use? by jlar · 2012-03-01 23:14 · Score: 4, Informative

"If your Penis has joints in it, you've got more serious concerns."
Like maybe having too many genes in common with chimpanzees or gorillas?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baculum
RE: by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-01 23:22 · Score: 0

"it allows the patient's bone ends to remain intact, and it creates a new joint out of their own tissue."
So, it's just like the process normally occuring in the numan body when a bone gets broken ?
Re:DAFUQ! by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-01 23:28 · Score: 0

You are not alone.
Re: by Jarik+C-Bol · 2012-03-01 23:35 · Score: 3, Interesting

Except this is for arthritis in finger joints, which the body does not tend to repair on its own. I suppose eventually, if it works in fingers, they will find a way to do knee joints with it as well. (i suspect that would involve months of low/no impact rehab/physical training to allow the joint to re-develop.)

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Re: by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · 2012-03-02 00:40 · Score: 2

That was what struck me (purely as a layman commenting on slashdot, of course) as being one of the tricky things:

The body normally 'allocates' bone growth in response to physical stress, which is why those astronauts lazing around in zero G come back with bones like your great grandmother; but you presumably don't want to stress a comparatively delicate implanted polymer scaffold more than absolutely necessary until it has regrown into a proper bone structure(worst cases, the thing either dissolves without any regrowth, and you've just got a nice gap to show for your OR time, or it re-ossifies after having been deformed into some gnarled, nonfunctional horror-shape).

I'm impressed by the delicate balancing of initial strength vs. absorption rate and/or biochemical trickery to induce growth without strain that they must have used to achieve bone regrowth without deforming or destroying the implant before its necessary lifespan is over...
Implants are not titanium by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-02 01:30 · Score: 0

Joint implants are not titanium. No, no no. That's a myth that won't die.
Almost all joint implants are ASTM-75, which is a cobalt and chrome alloy. There are a few that are a ceramic called titanium oxide, which is used in people with metal allergies. Titanium is too brittle and to hard to get out if you ever need to replace it.
1. Re:Implants are not titanium by pnewhook · 2012-03-02 02:10 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Joint implants are not titanium. No, no no. That's a myth that won't die.
  No, sorry it is you that is mistaken. Medical grade titanium (Ti6Al4V Grade 5) is widely used for joint implants because it is biocompatible and MR safe. ASTM-75 is only classified as MR Conditional at best so its effect on MR image quality and localized tissue heating has not yet been fully established.
  Just do a search on Titanium joint implant and you'll see they do in fact exist and are quite popular
  
  --
  Tesla was a genius. Edison however was a overrated hack who liked to torture puppies.
2. Re:Implants are not titanium by dietdew7 · 2012-03-02 02:49 · Score: 1
  
  After someone dies, do you know if the titanium recovered so that it can be recycled?
3. Re:Implants are not titanium by Ellis+D.+Tripp · 2012-03-02 03:02 · Score: 1
  
  Unless the person is cremated, I seriously doubt it...
  
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4. Re:Implants are not titanium by heathen_01 · 2012-03-02 04:52 · Score: 2
  
  Yes
5. Re:Implants are not titanium by Khyber · 2012-03-02 05:05 · Score: 1
  
  You're dead wrong. I'm loaded with titanium after being crushed by a truck.
  Two words - Biologically Inert. It doesn't set off the immune system. This is also why most piercing studs/jewelery are made of titanium, the chance of rejection by the body's defenses is practically nil.
  
  --
  Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
6. Re:Implants are not titanium by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-02 05:59 · Score: 0
  
  Much of the time, yes.
  Especially if an autopsy is done.
7. Re:Implants are not titanium by bill_mcgonigle · 2012-03-02 06:15 · Score: 1
  
  Just do a search on Titanium joint implant and you'll see they do in fact exist and are quite popular
  I have a friend with a nickel allergy who just got a Ti/polyethylene knee replacement. Unlike TFS's assertion, though, the doc said it will probably only last 20 years.
  
  --
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Re: by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-02 01:50 · Score: 0

...those astronauts lazing around in zero G...
They took FRIGGIN' SHARKS with them???
Re:Porn Use? by mooingyak · 2012-03-02 01:59 · Score: 2

Or, as Jay-Z once poetically put it, "If you got penis joint problems, I feel bad for you son. I got 99 problems but a penis joint ain't one."

--
William of Ockham had no beard. The most likely explanation is that it was chewed off by squirrels every morning.
Similar process by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-02 02:15 · Score: 0

Something similar has been worked on by Dr. Cole at Rush Presbyterian in Chicago for several years now.
Just look at story of John Golden who was facing a total knee replacement.
http://www.ivanhoe.com/channels/p_channelstory.cfm?storyid=20449
Another similar process by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-02 02:23 · Score: 0

Allosource.org
Using and researching demineralized bone matrix. This provides a framework or "scaffolding" for bone cells to migrate into and regenerate bone.
Only for non weight bearing joints by Wilf_Brim · 2012-03-02 02:31 · Score: 2

From TFA: "The implant has been in development since the mid 90s, and is intended for use in the small finger and toe joints of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis patients. It is made from a polylactide copolymer, and is inserted within the joint capsule of the affected digit." There are a relatively small part of the total joint replacement world. There are fairly few of these arthroplasties done: usually they are fused with a fair functional result. The joints most often replaced are knees and hips, shoulders sometimes and elbows even less. The two former are weight bearing, and the arthroplasty must be able to withstand 10+ years of wear. The growing mass (physical I mean) of the average individual is making this job increasingly difficult. And the endless ads from personal injury lawyers trolling for new clients for their class action cases against total joint makers underscores the dangers associated with a new technology in this field.
Re:Porn Use? by rgbatduke · 2012-03-02 02:59 · Score: 2

Hmmm, fact of the day -- a new word. Now to use it in a sentence with a random stranger. "Hey, is that a baculum in your pants or are you just glad to see me?"

rgb

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Even when the experts all agree, they may well be mistaken. --- Bertrand Russell.
Re:Porn Use? by nitehawk214 · 2012-03-02 04:04 · Score: 1

Hmmm, fact of the day -- a new word. Now to use it in a sentence with a random stranger. "Hey, is that a baculum in your pants or are you just glad to see me?"
The correct answer is... "both".

--
I'm a good cook. I'm a fantastic eater. - Steven Brust
Re:Porn Use? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-02 04:10 · Score: 0

No, in this case the correct answer is "Ook!"
finally, a starting point to a amputee repair by arkane1234 · 2012-03-02 04:13 · Score: 1

I know not many people think about this but I do everyday. This is a starting point of a possible limb replacement. (of course, not muscle, etc.)
It's actually pretty miraculous if you ask me.

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Frothy Mix for President by tepples · 2012-03-02 04:32 · Score: 1

Because it was an executive order, not an act of Congress, President Santorum would be able to undo this lifting in the last week of January 2013.
Chicken Biscuit Sandwich by tepples · 2012-03-02 04:35 · Score: 1

Besides, who has chicken for breakfast?
Anybody who goes into a Chick-fil-A between 0900 and 1020.
Where can I sign up? by assertation · 2012-03-02 06:02 · Score: 1

I've been hearing about cool stuff like this for years. When can an ordinary person get it?
Biodegradeable by Bayoudegradeable · 2012-03-02 06:13 · Score: 1

Around here we just chuck stuff into the bayou..... that's what we call (wait for it..) bayou-degradeable. (Can't pass up this one, now can I?)

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Nice... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-02 06:24 · Score: 0

So this technology exists, but nothing can be done about the 'dent' in my shoulder's cartilage.
Re:...and JEWS! by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-02 12:48 · Score: 0

Godwin's law proves itself again.
Re:HAROLD AND UMAR GO TO GET NEW IMPLANTS by Eponymous+Hero · 2012-03-05 10:25 · Score: 1

suicidal maniacs? really?

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