Conventional grafts are made of stiff polymers or brittle ceramics that cannot readily conform to surface shapes on injured bone and often require metallic fixation devices that need to be placed in open surgery, according to the release.
Using a nanoparticle core, the researchers have developed a new polymer that is malleable under heat and can be shaped based on imaging of the injury site. The product is currently undergoing tests to determine the safety and efficacy in animals as the first step toward possible clinical trials.
Read the University of Massachusetts Medical School’s release on orthopedic implants.
