Researchers have developed surgical plates and screws which may not only offer improved bone remodeling following injury, but can also be absorbed by the body over time, eliminating the need for surgical removal of the devices.

Co-senior author Samuel Lin, MD, of the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at BIDMC and Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, said that unlike metal, the composition of silk protein may be similar to bone composition, asserting that silk materials are extremely robust.

Lin and co-senior author and Tufts chair of biomedical engineering David Kaplan, PhD, used silk protein obtained from Bombyx mori (B. mori) silkworm cocoons to form the surgical plates and screws. Produced from the glands of the silkworm, the silk protein is folded in complex ways that give it unique properties of both exceptional strength and versatility.

To test the new devices, the investigators implanted a total of 28 silk-based screws in six laboratory rats. Insertion of screws was straightforward and assessments were then conducted at four weeks and eight weeks, post-implantation.

Lin said because the silk screws are inherently radiolucent [not seen on X-ray] it may be easier for the surgeon to see how the fracture is progressing during the post-op period, without the impediment of metal devices.

He said that having an effective system in which screws and plates 'melt away' once the fracture is healed may be of enormous benefit.

The findings have been published in the journal Nature Communications.