CHUNKS of bone can be grown from a patient’s own bone marrow and used to
replace bone lost because of an accident, arthritis or the removal of a tumour,
says the consortium of European companies developing the technique.
At the moment, if bone is lost, doctors usually insert metal replacements.
But metal doesn’t bond well to bones, nor does it flex as bones should. Grafts
of a patient’s own bone are possible, but only small pieces can be taken, and
the excision site can remain painful for up to a year. And grafts obtained from
bone banks may be rejected…
