Replacement Bones Made From Wood

Artificial bones used to help mend very bad breaks are usually made up from metal or ceramic, but these materials can lack the spongy texture of natural bones, so it can be hard for them to bond with your skeleton. However, now researchers have developed a replacement bone made for wood. Tests have shown that some types of wood, for instance red oak, an provide perfect scaffolding for cells and blood vessels to attach to as they grow. The wood is heated to kill off living materials and moisture then its coated in hydroxyapatite, which is a substance that makes up around 90% of a human bone. Then, after a few years, the wood breaks down inside the body to leave the healthy new bone in place. At the moment this type of research has only been tried on sheep, but researchers say they hope to start human trials in the near future.