Pillar of support: Breakthrough discovery could speed up bone implant recovery

Novel micropillars, 10 times smaller than the width of a human hair, can change the size, shape and nucleus of individual stem cells and 'trick' them to become bone, new research shows. A Monash University-led international research team has uncovered a new technique that can speed up recovery from bone replacements. Novel micropillars, 10 times smaller than the width of a human hair, can change the size, shape and nucleus of individual stem cells and 'trick' them to become bone. Further research will look to improve the process of locking bone replacements with reduced risk of infection. An international research team led by Monash University has uncovered a new technique that could speed up recovery from bone replacements by altering the shape and nucleus of individual stem cells. The research collaboration involving Monash University, the Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication, CSIRO, the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, developed micropillar arrays using UV nanoimprint lithography that essentially 'trick' the cells to become bone. Nanoimprint lithography allows for the creation of microscale patterns with low cost, high throughput and high resolution.