Can potatoes help treat bone damage in cancer patients?
Associate Professor Kasia Gurzawska-Comis from Department of Dentistry and Oral Health is leading a major international research project aimed at preventing and treating severe side effects caused by bone-targeting medications in cancer patients. The project is granted approximately DKK 63 million by EU Horizon with DKK 7.8 million allocated to Aarhus University.
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Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) is a rare, but severe and painful side effect of bone-targeting drugs, that are prescribed to some cancer survivors to reduce the risk of secondary bone cancer. MRONJ is a progressive destruction of the jawbone that leads to frequent infections, inability to eat and high risk of malnutrition.
A group of European researchers is now set to explore whether sustainable biomaterials – derived from plant-based nanoparticles extracted from potato waste and optimized using artificial intelligence – could offer a new treatment for MRONJ.
“Our goal is to develop a precise and minimally invasive treatment that promotes the body’s natural ability to regenerate tissue. We are creating antimicrobial 4D hydrogels – injectable or printable materials – that can be shaped and adapted to the body to support the healing process,” says Kasia Gurzawska-Comis, the project coordinator and associate professor at the Department of Dentistry and Oral Health. She is also Consultant in Oral Surgery at University of Liverpool.
The interdisciplinary research consortium, GreenNanoBone, includes 18 partners from 12 European countries and has just received a Horizon Europe grant of €8.6 million (approximately DKK 63.5 million). Of this, DKK 7.8 million is allocated to researchers at Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital, who will investigate the cellular mechanisms behind MRONJ and evaluate how the project’s newly developed treatment strategies could help reduce antibiotic resistance.
According to Kasia Gurzawska-Comis, GreenNanoBone has the potential not only to improve the lives of MRONJ patients but also lay the foundation for treating other skeletal conditions such as osteoporosis and complex fractures.
“With GreenNanoBone, we’re not just addressing an urgent clinical need – we’re rethinking how novel medical solutions can be developed in an effective, sustainable, and socially responsible way,” she explains.
Contact
Associate Professor, PhD, and Head of Oral and Maxillofacial and Oral Pathology Section Kasia Gurzawska-Comis
Aarhus University, Department of Dentistry and Oral Health
Phone: +45 20 99 44 10
Email: kasia.gurzawska-comis@dent.au.dk
This article is based on press materials from the University of Liverpool.