3D Simulations for Bones Made in Bio-Reactors

2008-Feb-27 | Siemens has developed a 3D simulator for a bio-reactor that will improve processes for growing bone tissue, thereby possibly preventing complications or the need for complex operations when such tissue is subsequently transplanted. Researchers at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) have used the new reactor to grow bone tissue from a patient’s stem cells. The 3D simulator determines the optimal conditions for the stem cells’ differentiation into bone cells. The goal here is to achieve top tissue quality in the shortest possible time; the first clinical tests are scheduled to begin in 2009.

Until now, surgeons have had two methods at their disposal for providing additional bone material to patients who require it following serious injuries or cancer-related surgery. The first method is to use specially prepared bone from a donor — which is not the best material and also carries the risk of infection for the recipient. The second technique involves removing bone material from the patient and then grafting it later on, which means an additional operation.
Researchers at RCSI in Dublin, on the other hand, are now attempting tissue engineering, which means growing a patient’s bone material outside of his or her body. In this procedure, adult stem cells from the patient are placed on a carrier material made of collagen, a sponge-like substance containing small pores. A nutrient solution is then flushed over the collagen in a specially developed bio-reactor, whereby the solution’s mechanical forces stimulate the stem cells to form bone cells. The success of the process depends on many different factors, including the size of the pores in the collagen and the collagen’s permeability, as well as the flow rate and pressure of the solution.

Siemens IT Solutions and Services has therefore developed a special 3D simulator for determining optimal conditions for rapid differentiation of the stem cells. Experts at RCSI use the simulator to precisely depict the behavior of the stem cells inside the bio-reactor on a computer screen, in order to identify the exact conditions needed. The goal of the RCSI specialists is to use the results obtained with the simulator to accelerate the growth of actual bone tissue. Initial tests indicate that a reduction in growth time from six weeks to around two weeks is a realistic possibility.