Painless Screws
Ten percent of fractures require reconstructive surgery that uses titanium plates, screws or pins to realign bones. With these orthopedic implants comes the risk of infection and chronic pain. And once a fracture heals, a second surgery is required to remove the metal parts. However, MIT engineers have developed a synthetic bone implant that would fuse with natural bone in the body during healing. Coinventor Edward Ahn took a synthetic biocompatible material called hydroxyapatite in its powder form and synthesized crystals of the material less than 150 nanometers across. Packing these tiny crystals tightly together yielded a very dense material that is as strong as metal implants, stronger than other synthetic bone now available and 30 percent cheaper to make. Unlike metal implants, the new synthetic bone is defect free, poses little risk of infection and doesn’t need to be removed. Ahn launched Angstrom Medica in Cambridge, MA, to commercialize the technology; he hopes to have its first orthopedic screws on the market in about a year.
Keep Reading
Most Popular

Anti-aging drugs are being tested as a way to treat covid
Drugs that rejuvenate our immune systems and make us biologically younger could help protect us from the disease’s worst effects.

A quick guide to the most important AI law you’ve never heard of
The European Union is planning new legislation aimed at curbing the worst harms associated with artificial intelligence.

It will soon be easy for self-driving cars to hide in plain sight. We shouldn’t let them.
If they ever hit our roads for real, other drivers need to know exactly what they are.

Crypto is weathering a bitter storm. Some still hold on for dear life.
When a cryptocurrency’s value is theoretical, what happens if people quit believing?
Stay connected

Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.