Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 in Cartilage Regeneration
February 12, 2019 | Terry Sharrer
Insulin growth factor-1 has previously been shown to support joint cartilage, but getting IGF-1 to an arthritic joint is problematic. So, researchers at MIT designed a nanoparticle that can put the drug where it is needed. “The sphere-shaped molecule they came up with contains many branched structures called dendrimers that branch from a central core. The molecule has a positive charge at the tip of each of its branches, which helps it bind to the negatively charged cartilage. Some of those charges can be replaced with a short flexible, water-loving polymer, known as PEG, that can swing around on the surface and partially cover the positive charge. Molecules of IGF-1 are also attached to the surface.” MORE
Image Credit: Brett Geiger and Jeff Wyckoff