British researchers have unveiled a form of injectable bone which could remove the need for painful and costly bone grafts.

The toothpaste like material was developed by Professor Kevin Shakesheff and colleagues from the University of Nottingham. According to Professor Shakesheff, the material is easily injected into broken bone, without the need for a surgical incision, where it hardens and forms a biodegradeable scaffold, on which new bone can grow.

The injectable bone has a major advantage over traditional bone cements – it does not give off heat as it hardens.  Traditional cements give off heat as they harden, destroying surrounding bone cells, and rendering them unusable in some parts of the body.

Clinical trials of the injectable bone are set to begin soon in the United Kingdom, and Professor Shakesheff expects the material to be available in the US within as little as 18-months.

'Injectable bone' helps fractures. BBC News. December 7th 2008.