In 1957, Fukada and Yasuda published a landmark paper demonstrating that bone generates electrical potentials when mechanically stressed. This discovery—piezoelectricity in biological tissue—opened an entirely new understanding of how the skeleton maintains and repairs itself.
Nearly 70 years later, Oral BioLife has built the first clinical platform to harness this phenomenon for therapeutic bone regeneration.
What Is Piezoelectricity?
Piezoelectricity is the ability of certain materials to generate an electrical charge in response to mechanical stress. The word comes from the Greek "piezein" (to press) and "elektron" (amber, the ancient source of static electricity).
In bone, the piezoelectric effect arises primarily from collagen—the protein that forms the organic matrix of bone tissue. When collagen fibers are compressed or stretched, they generate small voltages. These voltages create electrical gradients that influence cell behavior.
How Bone Uses Electricity
Osteoblasts (bone-building cells) and osteoclasts (bone-resorbing cells) are exquisitely sensitive to their electrical environment. Research has shown that:
- Negative electrical potentials attract osteoblasts and stimulate bone formation
- Positive potentials are associated with bone resorption
- The magnitude and pattern of electrical signals influence the rate and location of remodeling
This is why mechanical loading is essential for bone health. Every step you take, every bite you chew, generates piezoelectric signals that guide your skeleton's constant renewal.
The Oral BioLife Approach
Our platform consists of a biodegradable scaffold containing piezoelectric materials. When placed at a bone defect site, the scaffold converts ambient mechanical forces—the natural micromotion of daily function—into localized electrical signals.
These signals mimic the body's own piezoelectric environment, effectively telling osteoblasts: "Build bone here."
The key advantages of this approach:
- No external power source. The patient's own movement provides the energy.
- No drugs or biologics. The mechanism is purely physical.
- Localized effect. Signals are generated only at the defect site.
- Biodegradable scaffold. The material resorbs as new bone forms.
Pre-Clinical Validation
In canine ligature models of periodontal disease—a gold-standard pre-clinical model—we have demonstrated complete bone regeneration. CT imaging confirms new bone formation at sites treated with our piezoelectric scaffold, compared to controls that showed no regeneration.
These results align with decades of basic science research on piezoelectricity and bone, now translated into a clinical application.
Looking Forward
The piezoelectric regenerative platform represents a fundamental shift in how we think about bone therapies. Rather than adding external signals to the body, we're amplifying the signals the body already uses.
Bone regeneration is physics. We've engineered the platform to activate it.