A new material has been found to heal serious bone breaks, reducing healing time, rate of infection and pain. Known as "Twin-Based Linkers" in the academic world, it is a natural alternative to titanium plates, said Associate Professor of Engineering Thomas Webster, who led the research.
Outside of the body, this bone-healing material is just a white powder. But once injected, it self-assembles into a strong sticky substance with the mechanical properties of bone, Webster said.
Normally, injectable material needs ultraviolet light to solidify, but Webster said this material uses hydrogen bonds and needs only bodily fluids. As time passes, the material degrades, and new bone grows in its place, he said, adding that this healing process is far shorter, less risky and less painful than the current practice of inserting metal plates.
The material was created in collaboration with Canadian chemist Hicham Fenniri. The University licensed it to the biotechnology company Audax Medical Inc. last summer in the hopes of getting it commercialized and on doctors' shelves, Webster said.
Webster linked up with Audax Medical through Whitney Sharp '08, MA'09, who had been involved with the start-up of the company shortly after her graduation from Brown's Program in Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship Engineering, Webster said.
Sharp's final project was to find something that had not been commercialized yet and build a company around it. She picked the bone-healing material because Brown researchers were really excited about its development.
It is common to license scientific discoveries out to other companies, Webster said. Brown is not set up to do the commercialization on its own. Instead, the University looks for businesses to do fundraising and help with the FDA-approval process.
"It's a tribute to Brown that, in this economy, we're able to license out bone-healing technology," Webster said.
Audax is currently funding Linlin Sun GS to continue development on the project. Sun's research focuses on whether the material could be toxic and if it could be used in patients with osteoporosis, Webster said. Brown will receive royalties if the material is commercialized.
Audax and Brown are working closely to gain FDA approval, holding weekly meetings to discuss necessary experiments, Sun said. They will begin animal testing in the spring, and if all goes well, follow it up with human clinical trials, she added.
Because the material uses new chemistry and will therefore require extensive testing, it might take five to 10 years for it to reach the shelves, Webster said.
