A team from Swansea University in the UK, and China, have recently published a paper in the journal Biomedical Materials that shows corals’ stony skeletons could soon be used more extensively in bone grafting procedures. By partially converting their skeletons calcium carbonate into coralline hydroxyapatite (CHA), the resulting coralline hydroxyapatite/calcium carbonate (CHACC), has been shown to ‘considerably improve’ the outcome of bone grafts in 16 patients. CHA derived from coral skeleton has been used for many years as a successful bone graft material; but only having a limited stock, an autograft can cause discomfort, pain and long-term impairment in the area from which the the bone is taken. According to the paper, the CHACC composition, which contains 15 per cent of CHA More: A New Definition For ‘Reef Bones’… More:
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