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Advances in Nanotechnology for the Treatment of Osteoporosis

  • Regenerative Biology and Medicine in Osteoporosis (T Webster, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Osteoporosis Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Osteoporosis is a degenerative bone disease commonly related to aging. With an increase in life expectancies worldwide, the prevalence of the disease is expected to rise. Current clinical therapeutic treatments are not able to offer long-term solutions to counter the bone mass loss and the increased risk of fractures, which are the primary characteristics of the disease. However, the combination of bioactive nanomaterials within a biomaterial scaffold shows promise for the development of a localized, long-term treatment for those affected by osteoporosis. This review summarizes the unique characteristics of engineered nanoparticles that render them applicable for bone regeneration and recaps the current body of knowledge on nanomaterials with potential for osteoporosis treatment and bone regeneration. Specifically, we highlight new developments that are shaping this emerging field and evaluate applications of recently developed nanomaterials for osteoporosis treatment. Finally, we will identify promising new research directions in nanotechnology for bone regeneration.

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Author notes

    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77841, USA

      Mikayla Barry, Hannah Pearce, Lauren Cross & Akhilesh K. Gaharwar

    2. Maxillofacial Unit, Calabrodental Clinic, Crotone, 88900, Italy

      Marco Tatullo

    3. Regenerative Medicine Section, Tecnologica Research Institute, Crotone, 88900, Italy

      Marco Tatullo

    4. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77841, USA

      Akhilesh K. Gaharwar

    5. Center for Remote Health Technologies and Systems, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA

      Akhilesh K. Gaharwar

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    1. Mikayla Barry
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    Correspondence to Akhilesh K. Gaharwar.

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    Mikayla Barry, Hannah Pearce, Lauren Cross, Marco Tatullo, and Akhilesh K. Gaharwar declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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    This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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    This article is part of the Topical Collection on Regenerative Biology and Medicine in Osteoporosis

    Mikayla Barry and Hannah Pearce contributed equally to this work.

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    Barry, M., Pearce, H., Cross, L. et al. Advances in Nanotechnology for the Treatment of Osteoporosis. Curr Osteoporos Rep 14, 87–94 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11914-016-0306-3

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11914-016-0306-3

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