Bony Biomaterial May Keep Kids From Outgrowing Their Implants, Northwestern University Study

When it comes to surgically replacing sections of missing or damaged bone, there are two main approaches: harvesting pieces of bone from elsewhere in the body, or using shaped metallic implants. That said, harvesting bone is invasive and painful, while metallic implants won't grow along with the patient. The latter means that children will require additional surgeries to swap in larger implants as they grow. Now, however, scientists from Illinois' Northwestern University are developing an alternative – stretchy 3D-printed implants that bone cells actually propagate.