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A handheld ‘bone printer’ shows promise in animal tests

The device 3-D printed bone grafts in rabbits and delivered antibiotics to stave off infection

X-ray of an arm bone showing a fracture near the elbow joint, highlighted in red to emphasize the break.

A handheld 3-D printer, prototyped with a modified glue gun, might someday print bone grafts directly onto fractures, complete with antibiotics to ease healing.

Peter Dazeley/Getty Images

By Payal Dhar

Read another version of this article at Science News Explores

A handheld device can apply synthetic bone grafts directly at the site of a defect or injury without the need for prior imaging or fabrication.