Innovative collagen nano-hydroxyapatite scaffolds offer a highly efficient non-viral gene delivery platform for stem cell-mediated bone formation.

Curtin, Caroline M; Cunniffe, Gráinne M; Lyons, Frank G; Bessho, Kazuhisa; Dickson, Glenn R; Duffy, Garry P; O'Brien, Fergal J · Adv Mater · 2012

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

The ability of nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA) particles developed in-house to act as non-viral delivery vectors is assessed. These nHA particles are combined with collagen to yield bioactive, biodegradable collagen nano-hydroxyapatite (coll-nHA) scaffolds. Their ability to act as gene-activated matrices for BMP2 delivery is demonstrated with successful transfection of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) resulting in high calcium production.

Medical subject headings