BREAKING: 🇨🇳 China has developed a new bone glue that can heal fractures in just under 3 minutes eliminating the need for surgery or metal plates...
Article:
China’s oyster-inspired ‘bone glue’ bonds fractures, can replace metal in surgery
New bio-glue mimics oysters, fixing shattered bones in 3 minutes without major surgery.
[Sep 13, 2025 | Christopher McFadden | interestingengineering.com]
https://interestingengineering.com/science/chinas-oyster-inspired-bone-glue | https://web.archive.org/web/20250919225348/https://interestingengineering.com/science/chinas-oyster-inspired-bone-glue
ADAM | @AdameMedia
BREAKING: 🇨🇳 China has developed a new bone glue that can heal fractures in just under 3 minutes eliminating the need for surgery or metal plates.
It fully biodegrades in six months as bone heals and has been tested on more than 150 patients.
Meanwhile trump cut funding to Americas top universities for allowing criticism of Israel. He materially slowed down cancer research.
[Image: A close-up of a human arm with a visible fracture, showing a white tube applying a translucent, gel-like substance to the bone. The arm appears realistic with detailed skin texture. Text overlay in the upper right corner reads "新浪新闻 [Sina News]" in Chinese characters.]
6:33 PM | Sep 27, 2025
How do they apply the glue?
Given surgery seems to mostly used when things aren't where they are supposed to be, it seems like it frequently wouldn't be able to skip the surgery used to realign parts, but could mean not having a permanent plate or having to go back in to have them remove a temporary pin even if surgery was still required and not needed to drill holes in the bones. Also, if this could replace having an external cast for months and allow going back to normal life soon on non-surgery-requiring breaks, that could still be cool.
Yeah thinking it removes the need for most major surgeries, probably, but not all.
Hope it's not too good to be true.
Would be insane if you could actually heal a broken bone with an injection. I guess if the bone breaks nicely and doesn't shatter. Especially for hairline fractures it would be really good, but we don't do much for those anyway. I think the bone would still be sore.
Hmm, how does it perform with cartilage?
Great question!
"The adhesive is injected directly into the fracture site, where it quickly forms a strong chemical bond between bone fragments."
So, how does Bone-02 work? The adhesive is injected directly into the fracture site, where it quickly forms a strong chemical bond between bone fragments. Unlike conventional bone cements, which primarily act as fillers, Bone-02 is a true glue that creates a robust connection even in the presence of blood-a major hurdle for previous adhesives. It sets in just two to three minutes, allowing surgeons to complete procedures in under 180 seconds in some cases. This rapid bonding is achieved by mimicking the cysteine-rich proteins in oyster adhesives, which enable quick hardening and resistance to erosion.^[[1] https://dunapress.org/breaking-barriers-in-bone-repair-the-dawn-of-bone-02-adhesive/ | https://web.archive.org/web/20250928040842/https://dunapress.org/breaking-barriers-in-bone-repair-the-dawn-of-bone-02-adhesive/]
bone
hurtinghealing juice.sounds great! hope it works, is thoroughly tested and safe, if so, thats a legit medical breakthrough!
Link to journal article?
They say no major adverse events. Did they do any neck of femur fractures? What was the age range of the participants?
If you've not done any load bearing fractures in crumbly old people who are at higher risk of repeat falls then you haven't really said as much. Obviously this is proof of concept so they'll need looking to make sure it isn't toxic, but I'd be cautious about reading too much into reporting no major AEs. Even in a control group you'd expect some rehospitalisations.
It could always be used in conjunction with casts/braces/splints etc, to speed up the healing process from a fracture, no?
That doesn't really add to what I was remarking on. Yes, I'm sure that would be an intended use, but hip fractures don't usually end up with casts, and current best practice would be to have the patient up on their feet the day after surgery. Knowing if the glue can be used for that safely, and without repeat fracture would be important information. Since current standard of care still risks repeat fracture and repeat hospitalisation, not stating if hips have been included is slightly concerning.
I mean, you mentioned necks and femurs.
Those often end up in a cast or brace of some kind.
I'm going to take a wild guess that you're not medical in any way?
Not beyond basic first aid / cpr / trauma response stuff, no, not a nurse or doctor or surgeon etc.
I am just reading the words you wrote.
... Are... femurs not loading bearing?
Does... a neck, your vertebrae... not bear the weight of your head?
The neck of femur is a part of the femur that is frequently broken when people fall over. It takes a fair bit of weight when you're on your feet, so would be a useful comparison.
I wonder if it could be used to repair a broken coccyx. Apparently, there's not really a good treatment for that, but if there was, that would be fanfuckingtastic for all of the women who have gone through pregnancy and broken their coccyx during childbirth.
TIL
I did not know that!
https://youtu.be/Fr4d-fXNNQU?t=4m51s
great news, let's see in 10 years if theres deleterious side effects. then I'll endorse it.
As of now, "no major adverse reactions have been reported."
Like all new practices and inventions, time will tell.
"Clinical trials have already demonstrated promising results. To date, Bone-02 has been used successfully in over 150 patients, with procedures showing reduced operative time, minimal blood loss, and faster recovery. In one notable case, a patient with a shattered wrist bone underwent treatment that restored full function within three months, avoiding the trauma of open surgery and follow-up removals. These trials, conducted at Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, highlight the adhesive's safety profile -no major adverse reactions have been reported, and its biocompatibility addresses long-standing challenges in orthopedic adhesives dating back to the 1940s."
"Of course, challenges remain. Wider clinical trials are needed to validate its efficacy across diverse patient populations, including those with load-bearing fractures like femurs or spines. Regulatory approvals beyond China will require rigorous testing to ensure long-term safety. Questions about scalability-how to produce Bone-02 affordably and distribute it globally—also loom. Yet, the optimism is palpable; as Dr. Lin himself shared in interviews, this innovation stems from a desire to alleviate patient suffering based on real-world clinical needs."^[[1] https://dunapress.org/breaking-barriers-in-bone-repair-the-dawn-of-bone-02-adhesive/ | https://web.archive.org/web/20250928040842/https://dunapress.org/breaking-barriers-in-bone-repair-the-dawn-of-bone-02-adhesive/]
rad. sounds sweet. just gotta hurry up and wait for long term issues to rear their heads, like cancer or bone marrow failure.
of course it should go without saying, I'm hoping nothing happens, but only time can tell.
Yes, that is true.
We also can't forget corruption within all systems.
Profit also has a lot to do with releasing certain risks with new practices and inventions.
Smoking and climate change reports come to mind.
Companies paid off scientists and others so as to show favorable results for company profits.
I wonder if this could be used on young people whose bones are still developing.
Additional article:
Breaking Barriers in Bone Repair: The Dawn of Bone-02 Adhesive
[Maria Clara | 1 week ago | dunapress.org]
[https://dunapress.org/breaking-barriers-in-bone-repair-the-dawn-of-bone-02-adhesive/ | https://web.archive.org/web/20250928040842/https://dunapress.org/breaking-barriers-in-bone-repair-the-dawn-of-bone-02-adhesive/
Cool!