Pioneering Zinc-based dissolvable implants Stronger, safer, smarter for bone repair: Study

"Our zinc alloy material could revolutionise orthopaedic care -- opening the door to safer, smaller implants that not only enhance patient comfort but also promote better healing outcomes by minimising disruption to surrounding tissues," Professor Nie said.

"An implant that never disappears will always be a risk to the patient. On the other hand, one that degrades too fast won't allow adequate time for the bones to heal. With our zinc alloy material, we can achieve the optimal balance between strength and controlled degradation of the implant to promote better healing."

The research shows that by engineering the siNatureze and orientation of the material's grains, the zinc alloy can bend and adapt in unique ways to accommodate the shapes of its neighbouring tissues.

"This made it not only stronger but more flexible, offering a game-changing alternative for orthopaedics," Professor Nie said.

The research is paving the way for a new start-up to be launched out of Monash University with a focus on developing next-generation biodegradable implants.

Reference:

Chengcheng Wu, Fengxiang Lin, Hong Liu, Matthew H. Pelletier, Max Lloyd, Williams R. Walsh, Jian-Feng Nie. Stronger and coarser-grained biodegradable zinc alloys. Nature, 2025; DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-08415-8