A study by the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP) has presented a new biomaterial, produced in a laboratory, to treat bone infections considered "highly disabling and potentially catastrophic"

In a statement, FMUP reveals that the product, a biomaterial produced in a laboratory that serves as a bone substitute, has an international patent and has aroused the interest of companies in Brazil that may come to market it.

"We were able to obtain a product that releases the antibiotic for a period of 19 days, in order to treat the infection, while at the same time promoting osteointegration, with safety from the point of view of cellular toxicity. Most osteomyelitis can be treated in this way", describes Nuno Alegrete, a researcher at FMUP, quoted in a statement.

In practice, we are talking about a biomaterial composed of hydroxyapatite (a mineral based on calcium phosphate and the main constituent of bone), to which collagen (a protein that stimulates bone formation), heparin (an anticoagulant) and antibiotic (in this case, vancomycin) were added.

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After being placed in the infected bone cavity, the antibiotic is released for the time necessary to eliminate the bone infection (osteomyelitis) and the biomaterial is progressively incorporated, leading to the filling of the cavity with new bone.

The objective of this research was, says FMUP, "to fill a gap in research and develop a more effective, safer and much cheaper bone substitute".

According to Nuno Alegrete, this new biomaterial will improve the treatment of bone infections, a health problem that he frequently diagnoses in his clinical practice as an orthopedic doctor.

"Bone infections are a challenge in orthopedics, because they are extremely difficult to treat, have a high risk of relapse and spread at a distance, and require prolonged treatments with systemic antibiotics, which are associated with adverse effects, sometimes serious", says the researcher.

Osteomyelitis "results from a microbe, usually a bacterium, reaching the bone, which can be transmitted through the bloodstream, especially in children, through a wound, an exposed fracture or surgery, or from an infection in a nearby area", he adds, warning of the risks of surgeries.

"No matter how much sterilization there is, there is a race between the bacteria and the patient's defenses," he says.

According to Nuno Alegrete, this new bone substitute has "the appropriate characteristics to be implanted at the site of the infection, release the antibiotic and kill the remaining bacteria, while allowing the cavity to be filled with new bone, without the need for further surgery".

This research was carried out within the scope of Nuno Alegrete's doctorate at FMUP, supervised by Manuel Gutierres, a professor at FMUP, in collaboration with the Biocomposites group, from i3S, the Institute of Research and Innovation in Health of the University of Porto.

The project was funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

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