Injectable Bone Could Seal Broken Bones in Minutes

Posted on January 3, 2009

NBC News has a report about an interesting new product called Injectable Bone. The product from RegenTec is a mixture of ceramic and polylactic acid that can be injected into the break site where a person's body temperature causes the compounds to fuse and form a hard, spongy mass that seals the break.

"You won't be able to just walk out of a hospital with a broken leg," said Robin Quirk, a professor at the University of Nottingham who, along with Kevin Shakesheff in the United States, originally developed the technology. "What we are trying to do in the short term is have something that fills the void left by a break that acts like normal spongy bone and encourages natural regeneration."

Some past attempts at bone glues have caused problems but RegenTec claims its product encourages new bone growth. People will still need casts because Injectable Bone isn't as strong as human bone. The product is at least 18 months away from being used in hospitals.

Here's a video of Injectable Bone being injected into a sponge.

HEALTH