Researchers at the Royal Institute of Technology and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden said they had developed a "glue" that quickly binds bones together. They tested it well in mice and are preparing further studies to see if the glue could be used to repair human bones.

Writing in the journal Advanced Functional Materials, the researchers said they were inspired to develop materials and techniques to bind bones together. They coated two separate rat bones with an acid coating they called glue, laid a layer of fiber on top of it, then coated the glue with light emitting diodes (leds), and the two bones were firmly joined in less than five minutes.

Mikael Melkerk, one of the researchers, said the bone-bonding technique they developed was not afraid of wet conditions and would not cause rejection. "We believe this new technology could change the way we treat fractures and in the future phase out a large proportion of the metal plates and screws used today."