Self-Assembling “Nanotubes” Offer Promise For Future Artificial Joints

Tiny “nanotubes” that assemble themselves using the same chemistry as DNA could be ideal for creating better artificial joints and other body implants. Researchers at Purdue University, the University of Alberta and Canada’s National Institute for Nanotechnology have discovered that bone cells called osteoblasts attach better to nanotube-coated titanium than they do to conventional titanium used to make artificial joints.