A TEAM of researchers from Aston University, Birmingham, UK has developed a potential breakthrough treatment for osteosarcoma, the most common form of bone cancer. The researchers combined bioactive glasses, a material known for its ability to bond with tissue and enhance the strength of bones and teeth, with the metal gallium, creating a therapy that not only kills cancer cells but also regenerates damaged bones.
Laboratory tests revealed that bioactive glasses infused with gallium had a 99% success rate in eliminating cancerous cells without harming healthy bone tissue. This shows major improvement compared to earlier experiments, which had a 50% success rate. The bioactive glasses also promoted the early stages of bone regeneration after just seven days of incubation in a simulated body fluid, according to these findings.
Cancer cells, known for their “greedy” nature, absorb the gallium, a highly toxic metal, and effectively self-destruct, while healthy cells remain unaffected. This precise targeting of cancer cells could lead to more effective treatments with fewer side effects.
Osteosarcoma is usually treated with a combination of chemotherapy and surgery, but survival rates have seen little improvement since the 1970s. Patients with recurring osteosarcoma face particularly low survival rates and are at high risk of bone fractures. The new bioactive glass treatment offers a promising alternative.
The research team emphasised the urgency of improved treatment options for bone cancer, commenting that these “findings could lead to a more effective and localized treatment, reducing side effects and even regenerating diseased bones.”
In the future, the team commented that they hope to secure further funding to advance their research and begin clinical trials, potentially offering a lifeline to osteosarcoma patients in the near future.
Victoria Antoniou, EMJ
Reference
Hanaei SB et al. Multifunctional gallium doped bioactive glasses: a targeted delivery for antineoplastic agents and tissue repair against osteosarcoma. Biomed Mater. 2024;DOI:10.1088/1748-605X/ad76f1.
