Projektnummer

0057308

Zusammenfassung

There is an outstanding question in bone biology: how do bones mineralize? Debates about how bone cells fabricate our rock-hard skeleton continue. Current dogma does not explain this phenomenon, and results in the design of unsuccessful temporary bone replacement materials. Bone-building cells (osteoblasts) produce soft collagen matrix with other proteins, and extrude them into surround bone-fluid. Calcium and phosphate in the bone fluid precipitate within the soft collagen, where they form nano-sized particles of a calcium phosphate mineral (carbonated apatite). An unknown piece of th...