The fractures imposed, that is, those in which the bone breaks into many small fragments, are among the most complicated to cure. They often happen after a strong trauma, such as a road accident or a serious fall. And when the fragments are many and very small, rebuilding the bone becomes a long company, difficult and full of risks.
Even if medicine has made giant steps and today plates and metal screws are used to fix the bones, these tools are not suitable for tiny fragments. Often during the intervention some pieces are lost, or they do not fit well. The result? Slow healing, bones that do not completely weld or remain deformed. And in the most serious cases, post-traumatic arthrosis may arise, with pains and difficulties in moving the articulation.
A simple, but brilliant idea
To imagine a different solution was Professor Fan Shunwu, a Chinese orthopedist with more than 40 years of experience. For years he has dreamed of a material capable of gluing the bones directly, without the need for metal or screws.
To collect the witness was Dr. Lin Xianfeng, a young surgeon who grew up on the coast. Just during a visit to his hometown, Lin had an intuition observing a natural phenomenon: the oysters, attacked for years to the pylons of a bridge over the sea, remained firmly glued despite the waves and humidity.
What if this process could be imitated in the human body, where fractures take place in an environment rich in blood and humidity?
Bone 02 was born from this question, a surgical adhesive inspired by nature but created in the laboratory, designed to keep bone fragments united even in difficult conditions.
How Bone 02 works: it applies in a few minutes, it is biodegrades in six months, leave the bone clean
The team has worked for years on biocompatible materials, that is, safe for the human body, and has developed a sticker that has three main features:
The name “Bone 02” is an ironic quote to glue 502, the super resistant one that we all know: this new glue also wants to keep together – but the bones, not plastic.
A concrete case: complex fracture resolved in 3 minutes
Bone 02 has already been used in over 150 interventions in China, with very positive results. In one case, a young worker suffered a fracture imposed on the wrist, very difficult to deal with classic techniques.
Usually, in situations like this, a large incision is made and vines and plates are used to put the fragments together. But the intervention is long, painful, with risks of nerves or tendons damage. And in the future it is also necessary to take a second intervention to remove the metal.
With Bone 02, however, the surgeons made a small incision of just 2-3 cm, inserted the glue between the fragments, and in 3 minutes the bone was fixed. After three months, the patient had completely recovered the movement of the wrist and had no complications.
A technology ready for teeth, vertebral column and emergency scenarios
According to Dr. Lin, the true strength of Bone 02 is its versatility. It can be used in almost all fractures, even in microscopic fragments where plates and vines do not arrive. In addition, it can be useful in emergency contexts, such as in war or during the rescue after earthquakes, where you need to intervene quickly and without great equipment.
Not only that: new clinical studies are already scheduled to test the adhesive also in dental implantology and to fix the spine in a minimally invasive way.
Bone 02 was developed at the Sir Run Run Shaw hospital of the University of Zhejiang, who for years has focused on interdisciplinary research and practical solutions to improve patients’ lives.
Already three years ago, the same team had made itself talked about for having transferred spinach chloroplasts to animal cells, exploiting the energy of photosynthesis to treat diseases. A study published on Natureand first of all.
Cai Xiujun, director of the hospital, commented on the discovery:
Bone 02 was born from a real problem of patients. It is the result of teamwork, innovation and attention to the quality of the treatment. Now we want this technology to arrive soon even outside China.
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