Powerful Bone Glue from Sea Worms
ScienceDaily reports on a synthetic glue being developed based on the natural glue secreted by the sandcastle worm. The glue may prove useful in helping to repair bones shattered in battlefield injuries, car crashes and other accidents.
Today, bones that are shattered are repaired using nails, pins and metal screws but health officials have been seeking a biocompatible, biodegradable adhesive for the precise reconstruction of small bones. Surprisingly, there are no adhesives in the clinic based on natural adhesives (!).
The glue, developed by a team of bioengineers at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, is insoluble in wet environments and can bond to wet objects. It is at least as strong as Super Glue and twice as strong as the natural adhesive it mimics. It is now entering pilot studies.
