Special delivery for osteoporosis drugs

Tiny nanoparticles may soon be used to find and deliver medicines to targeted cracks in the bones, suggests new US research.

When a bone cracks, the minerals that leak out create an electric field that pulls the negatively charged nanoparticles toward the damaged area. So tiny cracks that can lead to broken bones in people with osteoporosis could be healed before they develop into more serious breaks.

“What makes our nanomotors different is that they can actively and naturally deliver medications to a targeted area,” explains Prof Ayusman Sen who was involved in the study. “Current methods, in contrast, involve taking a drug and hoping that enough of it gets to where it is needed for healing.”