Can a Glue Gun Really Fix a Broken Bone?

I mean I LOVE to use my hot glue gun and joke that it can fix ANYTHING, but a broken bone? Looks like it’s true, especially for a bone that breaks in a complex, irregular way like a shattered tibia, a smashed wrist, or a complicated fracture in the ankle that looks more like a jigsaw puzzle than a clean break.

But now, a team of biomedical engineers from South Korea has developed a tool that sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie: a modified glue gun that can 3D-print a bone graft directly onto the broken bone during surgery.

Yes, a GLUE GUN.

This is a bit different from the one I keep in my craft room. This one repairs injuries that currently require surgery and a bone graft to fill in the gaps and help the body heal. Historically, this has meant using metal plates, pins, or a bone graft from a donor or another part of your own body. But for those really messy breaks, the implants need to be custom-made ahead of time, which adds to the waiting game and the complexity of the surgery.

Here’s how this bone mending glue gun works: the “glue” isn’t a typical adhesive. It’s a special filament made from two key components. One is hydroxyapatite, a material naturally found in bones that helps with healing. The other is polycaprolactone (PCL), a biocompatible plastic that melts at a relatively low temperature, so it won’t harm the surrounding tissue.

A surgeon can use this hand-held device to fill in the jagged, irregular spaces of a fractured bone in real-time. Because they are doing it right there in the operating room, they can adjust the shape and depth as they go, creating a perfect, custom fit in a matter of minutes. This is a huge deal because it eliminates the need for all that pre-surgery prep—the imaging, the modeling, and the waiting.

The researchers tested this on rabbits, and the results were promising. (OK, let’s pause a moment and feel bad for those bunnies.) The grafts not only conformed perfectly to the breaks but were also designed to release anti-inflammatory antibiotics and promote natural bone regrowth. Essentially, they are creating a scaffold that the body can use to rebuild itself.

While this technology is still in the early stages, it’s an incredible example of how innovation can change the way we approach complex health challenges. The idea of a simple, compact, and manually operated tool offering such precision is truly amazing.