Worm glue

University of Utah bioengineers have taken inspiration from sandcastle worms to develop an adhesive that could one day be used to repair shattered bones in knees, other joints and the face.

Sandcastle worms dwell in intertidal surf and build their tube-shaped homes from bits of sand and shell and their own natural superglue.

The Utah team has developed a synthetic version of this glue.

In tests using cow-bone pieces, the synthetic sea-worm glue, a first-generation prototype, performed 37 per cent as well as commercial superglue.

Russell Stewart, associate professor of bioengineering at the university, expects the synthetic worm-glue to be tested on animals within a year or two, and tested and used on humans in five to 10 years.

The synthetic glue would not be used to repair large fractures such as major leg and arm bones, for which rods, pins and screws are used.