Bone-like materials can be used both as bone fillers and drug delivery vehicles for targeting bone cancers, claim Italian scientists. The materials release the drugs over a prolonged period and make them work better than the free drug. Norberto Roveri, at the University of Bologna, Italy, and colleagues combined a synthetic bone substitute called hydroxyapatite (HA) with anticancer platinum complexes to produce implantable devices that can control the drugs' release and improve their cytotoxicity. The team hope that by releasing drugs only at target areas, they will be able to avoid the side effects common with anti-cancer medication.
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