Broken bone? No worries–here’s a bandaid!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying…could be true!
Broken bones take weeks and weeks to heal. Can we supercharge the healing process?
Enter Ritopa Das and researchers from the University of Connecticut. They knew: when a bone is bent, it builds up a slight electric charge. When it’s broken, the charge amps up. It’s a distress call to the body’s repair crew!
So, they developed a special material for bone cells to grow on. The shocking part? It produces electricity when exposed to ultrasound! Then, they tested their “electric bandaid” in mice.
Results? Bone cells grown on this switched-on bandaid produce THREE TIMES more minerals! This makes them effective at healing and repairing bone damage.
And if that doesn’t get you amped, here’s the kicker. It’s a DISAPPEARING bandaid! Once the bone is healed, the body absorbs the non-toxic material.
The researchers hope that the electric bandaid can speed up healing and reduce hospital visits.
Coming one day to a clinic near you – super-charged bone repair! Batteries not included.
Reference: Das, R., Curry, E. J., Le, T. T., Awale, G., Liu, Y., Li, S., Contreras, J., Bednarz, C., Millender, J., Xin, X., Rowe, D., Emadi, S., Lo, K. W. H., & Nguyen, T. D. (2020). Biodegradable nanofiber bone-tissue scaffold as remotely-controlled and self-powering electrical stimulator. Nano Energy, 76, 105028. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2020.105028