An oyster-inspired medical glue designed to repair bones has been developed by a team of Chinese researchers from Zhejiang University.

The medical adhesive, dubbed “Bone-02,” is designed to repair broken bones quickly and without the need for metal plates, screws or major surgeries.

According to its developers, the new adhesive can be injected directly into a fracture site to expedite bone repair, bonding bone fragments together in about two to three minutes, even in blood-rich environments where the majority of adhesives fail.

Making this possible, the team explained, is that the adhesive mimics how oysters adhere to underwater surfaces. This inspired the idea because bones, like oysters, reside in environments that are moist and tend to be difficult for adhesives to attach. However, oysters can attach to rocks, bridge pilings or even each other in the harsh underwater environment thanks to secreting a protein-rich adhesive called bio-cement.

This adhesive reportedly works in wet, salty and constantly moving environments, creating a tough bond that resists both pressure and erosion. Finding that oyster adhesives form a strong chemical interaction with surfaces and quickly hardens, the team sought to mimic this mechanism.

Bone-02 sets firmly within the body’s moist, blood-rich environment and demonstrated properties such as withstanding significant forces before failing. During trials, the glue reportedly demonstrated a bonding strength of over 400 lb.

Additionally, it demonstrated a shear strength of 0.5 megapascals (MPa) as well as 10 MPa of compressive strength, thereby making it resistant to crushing.

The team noted that the glue is also biodegradable, which means that the body absorbs it as the bone heals and it could possibly eliminate the need for permanent implants in certain cases.

Instead of rebuilding shattered bones with plates and screws, the team suggests that bones could essentially be “glued” back together and heal naturally.