Post by Wes on Sept 27, 2010 18:09:55 GMT 10
Doctors figure out how to make titanium bones
IT worked for Wolverine, but that was in comic books and movies.
Now a team from Germany say they really have found a way to infuse bones with titanium and create a metal skeleton.
Peter Quadbeck of the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials Research in Dresden, Germany, says bones can be replaced with titanium implants.
That in itself isn't entirely new. Titanium implants are regularly used to strengthen bones.
But the problem with those implants is that the bone eventually starts to rely on the titanium to bear the load, and deteriorates as a result.
The implants can also loosen and require maintenance, or damage the bone they're strapped to.
The answer, says Dr Quadbeck, is replacing bad bones altogether. He says the secret to doing it is in his team's development of a "titanium foam".
The foam is made from polyurethane foam which is infused with titanium powder and binding agents.
When the polyurethane foam is dissolved, a titanium matrix remains, which is then hardened by heat.
The resulting titanium matrix can then — theoretically — replace a damaged bone. Remaining bone cells can be encouraged to grow in and around it.
While that might be great for deflecting blows from mutant adversaries, it's also good news for anyone who's struggled with bone disease or broken bones that fail to heal properly.
"The mechanical properties of titanium foams made this way closely approach those of the human bone," said Dr Quadbeck.
"This applies foremost to the balance between extreme durability and minimal rigidity."
The invention is yet to be approved for use in humans.
www.news.com.au/technology/doctors-discover-how-to-make-titanium-bones/story-e6frfro0-1225928889483
IT worked for Wolverine, but that was in comic books and movies.
Now a team from Germany say they really have found a way to infuse bones with titanium and create a metal skeleton.
Peter Quadbeck of the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials Research in Dresden, Germany, says bones can be replaced with titanium implants.
That in itself isn't entirely new. Titanium implants are regularly used to strengthen bones.
But the problem with those implants is that the bone eventually starts to rely on the titanium to bear the load, and deteriorates as a result.
The implants can also loosen and require maintenance, or damage the bone they're strapped to.
The answer, says Dr Quadbeck, is replacing bad bones altogether. He says the secret to doing it is in his team's development of a "titanium foam".
The foam is made from polyurethane foam which is infused with titanium powder and binding agents.
When the polyurethane foam is dissolved, a titanium matrix remains, which is then hardened by heat.
The resulting titanium matrix can then — theoretically — replace a damaged bone. Remaining bone cells can be encouraged to grow in and around it.
While that might be great for deflecting blows from mutant adversaries, it's also good news for anyone who's struggled with bone disease or broken bones that fail to heal properly.
"The mechanical properties of titanium foams made this way closely approach those of the human bone," said Dr Quadbeck.
"This applies foremost to the balance between extreme durability and minimal rigidity."
The invention is yet to be approved for use in humans.
www.news.com.au/technology/doctors-discover-how-to-make-titanium-bones/story-e6frfro0-1225928889483