Well, we did it—we're living 5 bazillion years in the future. Pretty soon we're all going to be wearing sequined space suits and travelling to work on personal hovercrafts.

Researchers at the University of Iowa have created an implantable collagen patch seeded with particles containing synthetic DNA that instructs the patient’s own cells to produce a protein that leads to bone growth. Meaning: we can grow bones!

So what does that mean for the world of dentistry? This advancement can help patients regenerate bone in the gum area, improving the success of dental implants.

The bio-patch has a scaffolding-like interior structure, and is shaped to the size of the area where the new bone is needed. Contained within that scaffolding are synthetically-created DNA molecules (also known as plasmid) that are encoded for a growth factor known as PDGF-B. When cells from the adjacent existing bone grow into the patch, the healing process begins.

"The delivery mechanism is the scaffold loaded with the plasmid," says Professor Aliasger Salem. "When the cells migrate into the scaffold, they meet with the plasmid, they take up the plasmid, and they get the encoding to start producing PDGF-B, which enhances bone regeneration."

In laboratory tests, the bio-patches were implanted onto 5 x 2 mm holes of the skulls of test animals. After four weeks, the results were compared to those of tests in which patches with no plasmids were used, or no action was taken at all. According to the university, "The plasmid-seeded bio patch grew 44 times more bone and soft tissue in the affected area than with the scaffold alone, and was 14-fold higher than the area with no manipulation."

And that my friends, is the wonderful wizardry of science.

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