China creates 'bone glue' that will mend breaks in minutes
Topics: China, World News, Health, Science
Ellie Kemp
Featured Image Credit: Krisanapong Detraphiphat/Getty Images
Topics: China, World News, Health, Science
Scientists in China have invented a revolutionary 'bone glue' that can mend breaks in up to three minutes.
Fractures are one of the most common bone injuries in the world, with a Lancet study estimating 178 million fractures globally a year.
Around 10.3 percent of those injuries - some 18.3 million - are in the United States, according to the US Bone and Joint Initiative.
Fractures usually take up to 12 weeks to heal, while a complete recovery can take years, depending on its location and patients' age and health.
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Some need to be treated internally, with devices like plates, rods and screws holding the bones in place while they heal.
In some cases, these devices later need to be removed with surgery - causing even more inconvenience for the patient.
But now, a team in China has created a special bone glue, which could see complicated treatment become a thing of the past.
Named Bone-02, it was inspired by how oysters cling strongly to wet underwater surfaces.
It is injected via a 2 to 3 centimeter and bonds broken fragment in up to three minutes.
Bone-02 also targets awkward, smaller fractures that internal plates and screws might not be suitable for, while minimizing the risk of infection and rejection in areas where plates are needed.
Better yet, it can be safely absorbed by the body, so there's no need for invasive surgery once the bone has fully healed.
In one trial, doctors used Bone-02 to repair repair a severe wrist fracture in under three minutes.
After just three months of recovery, the patient’s fracture had healed without complications and they had full use of their wrist once more.
Lab tests have shown the glue is not only safe and effective, but also incredibly strong; it's able to withstand more than 400 pounds of force.
The revolutionary medical glue has been in development since 2016, by Professor Pan Xunwu, an orthopedic specialist at Zhejiang University, and
Lin Xianfeng, an associate chief orthopaedic surgeon at Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital.
After nearly eight years of research, the team achieved a breakthrough with Bone-02, which entered clinical research trials in 2023 and is now being tested on patients.
Some 150 patients have trialed Bone-02 so far, reducing the need for even lengthier surgeries and recovery.
If one day approved by China's medical regulator, Bone-02 could become the world’s first widely used bone glue.
Researchers might also adapt the technology for dental, cranial or spinal repairs in the future.