Bone-setting Glue Derived from Cloned Sandcastle Worm Genes

Filed in archive Drugs, Vaccines and Therapeutics on August 20, 2009

Credit: Fred Hayes

Scientists have developed a synthetic version of an adhesive formed by a marine worm, Phragmatopoma californica. This worm secrets a glue to build a tubelike shell out of bits of sand, broken shells and other mineral debris. By cloning the gene for the proteins making up the adhesive, scientists came up with a "polyacrylate glue that is water soluble but doesn't dissolve in liquid, is at least as strong as Super Glue, and is twice as strong as the worm's original glue."

Stewart and his colleagues believe the adhesive can be used as a complement to wires, pins, and plates-large pieces could be held in place with hardware, while small pieces could be glued back in. And in cranial-facial fractures, where using pins and screws can cause permanent cosmetic damage, the glue could potentially be injected with a syringe, avoiding open surgery.

Preliminary experiments showed no sign of toxicity, no unusual immune reaction (in rats) and efficacy (in cow bones).

For further reading:

Marine Worm's Glue May Aid Bone Repair
Screws Lose: A Worm's Underwater Glue Could Help Repair Bones
Bone-setting Glue