Sandcastle worms inspire "glue bones"
An adhesive made by worms inspires a new treatment for broken bones
Sancastle worms in their environment
The sandcastle worm, as the beast is known, lives in a mineral shell. It does not, however, secrete this shell directly in the way that, for example, a mollusc would. Instead, it secretes a glue and uses this to stick bits of sand together to form its casing, in the way that a freshwater caddis fly larva does. The glue does not dissolve in water. Indeed, it is able to displace water and thus adhere to surfaces in aqueous solutions. And it solidifies soon after being secreted. It, or something like it, therefore sounds ideal for repairing bones.
The resulting glue not only sticks bits of bone together in watery environments, but also does so with twice the strength of the glue used by the worm. And, although it is still early days, preliminary tests suggest it is both non-toxic and biodegradable. If further testing confirms this, it means that, as the broken bone heals, the glue will disappear naturally. Complex fractures will thus heal more easily.
- Read original story: Glue bones, The Economist, 25 August 2009
- Creative Commons Picture - A sandcastle worm
