Research
The Nakano Lab’s research proposal entitled “Bone biomaterials developed by bone microstructure (Principal Investigator: NAKANO Takayoshi)” has been granted support by the Funding Program for Next Generation World-Leading Researchers* of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). The funding period of this project is between February 10, 2011, and March 31, 2014, and the total allocated research funding is 158.6 million yen (about 2 million US dollars) including 36.6 million yen (about 0.46 million US dollars) for indirect costs. All members of the Nakano Lab will be deeply dedicated to this research project and will be involved in actively publishing research outcomes.
*The Funding Program for Next Generation World-Leading Researchers is aimed at supporting the researchers who possess the potential to be world leaders in their respective fields. By supporting the kind of cutting-edge research mandated by the Japanese government’s “New Growth Strategy (Basic Policies) Toward a Radiant Japan” (Cabinet decision on December 30, 2009), the program seeks to spur mid- to long-term science and technology advancement, while contributing to the continued growth of Japan as a nation and the solution of policy-focused and societal issues. (Ref: JSPS web site, http://www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-jisedai/program.html)
Principal Investigator
NAKANO Takayoshi (Professor, Division of Materials and Manufacturing Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University) Dr. Nakano conducts research on biomaterials and leverages his experience gained in materials science research to contribute to life sciences by using an approach that integrates medicine, dentistry, and engineering. A key concept underlying his research is that of anisotropy of bone apatite microstructure (preferential alignment). With this concept in mind, he strives to elucidate mechanisms whereby one can obtain only those components of material characteristics that are oriented in desired directions and pursues the development of novel materials that can exert anisotropy.
Description of this research project
Most materials in the natural world are anisotropic: bone tissue, the subject of this research project, is a representative example of such anisotropic materials. We have identified the importance of apatite orientation (anisotropic microstructure) as a novel index for evaluating and diagnosing bone quality by focusing on the region-dependent orientation of normal healthy bone and studying diseased and regenerated bones. This index can substitute for existing indices of bone density. Based on the data obtained in this research, we plan to develop a subspecialty of medicine devoted to bone quality encompassing the establishment of diagnostics of bone quality and the treatment of diseased bone, taking advantage of our new orientation index. Bone’s normal mechanical functions depend on region-dependent anisotropy; however, even leading-edge bone regeneration techniques cannot reproduce such normal bone anisotropy. To overcome this difficulty, we focus on the following two completely different perspectives.
- Biological tissue engineering: Elucidating the mechanism underlying anisotropy of bone apatite microstructure in vivo and controlling it by applying this mechanism.
- Artificial tissue engineering: Controlling bone anisotropy by artificially mimicking the functions of bone tissue.
Based on these two perspectives, we aim to create novel concepts and technologies in order to control bone anisotropy by carefully investigating both basic research issues as well as their practical applications.
In particular, we plan to generate several new academic theories regarding perspectives ranging from the biological tissue engineering to the artificial tissue engineering ; that is, from bone embryology to bone tissue evaluation to bone regeneration materials to bone implant designing and materials, and to humanoid and robot skeletal materials. Moreover, we will comprehensively manage these theories to establish a new academic discipline that can be termed “bone biomaterials science,” and devise methods to control the bone anisotropy.
A transition from the conventional approach, based on the perspective of bone density, to a new approach based on the perspective of bone anisotropy, can contribute to elucidating the mechanism of onset of bone diseases such as osteoporosis, which are challenges facing super-aging societies. This in turn can lead to the development of therapies for bone diseases and minimally invasive bone diagnostic procedures. Finally, we plan to explore “innovation in multidisciplinary bone research,” which has the potential to undermine the conventional design guides for bone biomaterials and implants that have contributed thus far to bone density medicine.
