In a report published in NPJ Regenerative Medicine, researchers have suggested that injecting an osteoinductive protein Jagged-1 to a bone injury will enhance healing. Jagged-1 can activate the Notch signaling pathway that can enhance bone healing in patients with fractures and injuries. It is not fully understood why healing of certain bones is more difficult than others. People with metabolic dysfunctions like diabetics or elderly people, in general, have a poor healing rate following injuries or fractures.
Bone morphogenic proteins(BMPs) are sometimes used to aid bone healing, but being soluble molecules, they can migrate from the site of fracture to other locations. Jagged-1 delivery will be more targeted as the ligand attached to the protein will bind to the cell where it has been delivered and induce healing in the adjacent cells. Thus, this protein will stay at the site of…
