Researchers at the University of Iowa, including Aliasger Salem, Bighley Chair and professor, are developing an implant that helps induce bone formation in patients with diabetes. People with diabetes are more likely to experience bone fractures that don’t heal properly.

Salem is using a multi-functional implant composed of insulin, Vitamin D3, bone morphogenetic protein 2, and fibroblast growth factor to help those with Type 2 diabetics who have difficulties regenerating bones after fractures.

The research is a collaboration with John Femino, clinical professor at the UI Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, and has already shown great promise. “What we’ve done so far is to take a really, really challenging model and show that we can form bone in a difficult site and in a difficult model with our scaffold,” Salem said. “If bone can regenerate there, then that’s incredible.”

Salem was recently interviewed for an article in the Daily Iowan about his research.