We can rebuild you! Injectable artificial bone paste developed
I’m lucky enough to have never needed one (touch wood), but I’m told that bone grafts are extremely painful procedures that invite the risk of further damage to surrounding areas. So I can see the logic behind RegenTec’s injectable artificial bone compound, which will be pretty handy stuff if it works as it’s supposed to:
The technology’s superiority over existing alternatives is the novel hardening process and strength of the bond, said Quirk. Older products heat up as they harden, killing surrounding cells, whereas ‘injectable bone’ hardens at body temperature – without generating heat – making a very porous, biodegradable structure.
Putting on our science-fictional speculative hats for a moment, what sort of uses might the street find for this stuff? I’ll start with back-alley cosmetic surgeons offering quick-to-heal height increases. [image by patrix]
December 16th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Braces! No more orthodontic surgery, just a few quick squirts in the mouth.
Okay, that didn’t come out right…
Either way, it means I have another footnote to add to a story I just published.
December 17th, 2008 at 6:13 am
This has promise for those hip fractures that often put the elderly in nursing homes, because they take so long to heal.
Now where’s the injectable cartilage for my aging knees?