University of Nottingham scientists are currently testing a new material for the repair of broken bones.

A polymeric material that can be squirted into broken bones, where it hardens within minutes, has been developed by UK scientists.

The toothpaste-like substance forms a biodegradable scaffold over which the body's own bone grows. Researchers at Nottingham University said it could help remove the need for painful bone grafts in many cases.

They are working to start clinical trials in the UK, and expect it to be used in the U.S. within 18 months. The "injectable bone" is the brainchild of Professor Kevin Shakesheff, from the University of Nottingham.

Its advantage over traditional bone cements comes as it hardens. Conventional cements that give off heat as they harden, kills surrounding cells, thereby making the materials unusable in some parts of the body. The more recent polymer, however, does not.

The material has the texture of toothpaste at room temperature. Rising to body temperature is enough to trigger the hardening reaction. Shakesheff says the material is easy to inject into the right part of the body without a surgical incision common for bone grafts. These use bone taken from another part of the patient's body to plug a harmful gap.

"We can insert the needle at the right spot and inject the polymer, which will fill the space or gap, and set as hard as the bone on either side,” says Shakesheff. “Because the material does not heat up, surrounding bone cells survive and grow."

Some limitations remain. Though the polymer is as hard as bone within minutes, a leg fracture fixed this way would still need metal pins to prevent shearing apart if the patient tries to walk too soon.

However, Shakesheff says that the lack of heat as the substance sets means it could be used in other applications where a tough scaffold is needed to support the growth of new cells. He adds that this could, one day, apply to other damaged areas such as the heart.