Scientists in the United States have successfully treated broken spines and skulls in animals using 3-D-printed synthetic bone, opening the possibility of future personalized bone implants for humans to fix dental, spinal other bone injuries.
Unlike real bone grafts, the synthetic material — called hyper-elastic bone — is able to regenerate bone without the need for added growth factors, is flexible and strong, and can be easily and rapidly deployed in the operating room.
Giving details in a teleconference, the scientists said the results of their animal trials — published on Wednesday in the Science Translational Medicine journal — were "quite astounding."