Brittle bone disease, also known as osteogenesis imperfecta, is a rare hereditary disease characterized by increased bone fragility. Patients can suffer a bone fracture as a result of a harmless fall or a certain movement. The disease is based on a defect in the gene for collagen type I protein production. Collagen is a key element for bone and connective tissue. The result is a weaker bone structure and increased susceptibility to fractures.

The research was led by Xiao-Hua Qin, Professor of Biomaterial Engineering as well as Prof. Ralph Müller, both from ETH Zurich. The in vitro model is based on a porous matrix developed from a synthetic hydrogel that is biodegradable. Bone-forming cells can grow in it and form a three-dimensional network. The human mesenchymal stromal cells and osteoblasts spread rapidly on the scaffold and form 3D networks within 24 hours.

In this way, the bone formation process can be compared with cells from patients suffering from brittle bone disease and those from healthy test subjects. The model will be used to study early bone development in vitro in the future. One aim is to develop treatment methods without having to resort to animal experiments.

Original publication:
Zauchner D, Müller M, Horrer M, Bissig L, Zhao F, Fisch P, Lee SS, Zenobi-Wong M, Müller R, Qin XH: Synthetic Biodegradable Microporous Hydrogels for In Vitro 3D Culture of Functional Human Bone Cell Networks.Nature Communications 2024, doi:10.1038/s41467-024-49280-3

Further information:
https://ethz.ch/de/news-und-veranstaltungen/eth-news/news/2024/06/die-glasknochenkrankheit-besser-verstehen-ganz-ohne-tierversuche.html