A team of orthopaedic surgeons in China's Zhejiang province has developed a revolutionary new bone adhesive, dubbed “Bone 02”, inspired by the natural occurring glue oysters use to stick themselves to underwater rocks.

The innovation, which has been in development for nine years, offers a potential breakthrough in fracture treatment by providing strong, rapid adhesion in wet surgical environments without the need for metal implants, political commentator and China expert Arnaud Bertrand reports.

Led by Professor Fan Shunwu, Director of the Orthopaedics Department at Zhejiang University, and researcher Lin Xianfeng, the team modelled the glue on the adhesive secretions oysters use to attach themselves to rocks in underwater conditions. These secretions, known as bio-cement, create a rapid and durable chemical bond with surfaces, even in extreme environments.

The Bone 02 glue replicates these properties, achieving near-instant adhesion—within two to three minutes—even in blood-soaked, wet physiological conditions. Laboratory results indicate a bonding tensile force exceeding 400 pounds (over 181kg), and the adhesive is fully biodegradable, naturally dissolving over a six-month period as the bone heals. This eliminates the need for follow-up surgeries to remove metal plates or screws traditionally used in fracture repair.

“Nearly instant adhesion in blood-soaked wet physiological environments (it just takes 2-3 minutes). It has extremely strong adhesive properties with a bonding tensile force of over 181 kg. It is complete biodegradability that naturally absorbs after about six months as the bone heals so no need for secondary surgery previously required in conventional treatments,” says Bertrand.

Replacing metal plates and screws with glue will vastly reduce infection risks says doctors by removing the need for bone surgery with traditional methods. the glue means minimally invasive and rapid surgery since you just need a small opening large enough to apply the glue as opposed to a complex surgery attaching metal fixations.

“This glue could be especially useful for fractures with small bone fragments which are very difficult to fix with metal plates and screws,” reports Bertrand.

According to Xinhua News on September 10, the Bone 02 product has already completed a large-scale clinical trial involving over 150 patients. The trial, described as a “prospective, multicentre, blinded, randomised, parallel-controlled, non-inferiority” study, demonstrated that the glue achieved “seamless bonding of all fracture fragments.” Full peer-reviewed results are expected to be published shortly in an orthopaedics journal.

The research team has commercialised the technology through a startup called Yuannang Bio, which recently secured RMB100mn ($13.7mn) in Series A financing, PharmCube reported on September 15.

“This glue has the potential to redefine how we treat bone fractures,” said Professor Fan. “Its clinical advantages could significantly reduce patient recovery time and surgical complications.”