Bioresorbable bone adhesives have potential to revolutionize the clinical treatment of the human skeletal system, ranging from the fixation and osseointegration of permanent implants to the direct healing and fusion of bones without permanent fixation hardware. Despite a clear unmet need, there are currently no bone adhesives in clinical use that provide a strong enough bond to wet bone, while possessing good osteointegration and bioresorbability. We have recently introduced a novel, bioinspired mineral-organic bone adhesive (Tetranite®) based on tetracalcium phosphate and phosphoserine that cures in minutes in an aqueous environment and provides high bone-to-bone adhesive strength.[1] This new hybrid, bioresorbable material was measured to be 10 times more adhesive to bone than bioresorbable calcium phosphate cement and 7.5 times more adhesive than non-resorbable PMMA bone cement, both of which are standard of care in the clinic today.
Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract