Biodegradable Implant

Researchers from Beaumont Hospital - Royal Oak in US have designed a porous bone material replicating actual human bone. The bone has been developed using plastic derived from corn starch combined with a volcanic ash compound.

The biodegradable bone is reinforced with Montmorillonite clay nanoparticles for strength that dissolves in the body within 18 months. New bone formation begins when the material starts dissolving. The implant is created by injecting the polymer-clay mixture with carbon dioxide that makes it look like a foam, but is in fact rigid like a bone.

Surgeons at present remove bones from one part of the patient’s body to heal the affected area and encourage new bone growth. Some surgeons even use donated bones, however, bone donors are less in number. The new technique will lead to a reduction in surgery complications as harvesting bone would not be necessary.