Harnessing Clay Gels for Bone Tissue Repair

The UK already spends £2 bn/year on bone fractures and this cost is set to increase as the UK population ages. In fact, by 2030, it is expected that 23% of the UK population will be aged over 65. Many bone fractures lead to orthopaedic operations that, in turn, need to be repeated due to inadequate healing. Bone healing agents are effective, but currently difficult to use as they are mobile in the body and can cause problematic side-effects at other sites. Innovate UK funding has allowed Renovos, a new orthopaedic regenerative medicine company, spun out from the University of Southampton, to convert decades of musculoskeletal research at the latter into an exciting, innovative product, allowing for the use of bone-healing agents in a more precise, localised manner, increasing their safety. This novel product – a clay biomaterial – allows for delivery of smaller amounts of the therapeutic agents for the same effect, and therefore can enhance healing and clinical outcomes at lower cost. With Innovate UK funding Renovos will accelerate development of this novel clay product as a therapeutic and prepare it for the process of testing in clinically-relevant models leading to first in-man trials. Ultimately, we anticipate our new product will provide a novel solution for difficult-to-treat fractures.