Marine life may hold secret to replacement bones

[Brooke]

By PATRICK WRIGHT (patrick.wright@news-jrnl.com)
Staff Writer

MARINELAND -- Part of John Mecholsky's job is to break manatee bones, but the best part for the mammoth sea creatures is that he doesn't hurt a single one.

The materials science and engineering professor at the University of Florida studies bones from manatees killed by boats and other marine life to find better ways to make artificial limbs and artificial fasteners for humans.

In traditional surgery, doctors use metals and other synthetic materials to fix or reattach bones and ligaments.

"The problem is that a lot of these are metal and aren't compatible with the human body," Mecholsky said. "We are trying to get materials that are closer to bone."

The key for Mecholsky is to learn as much as he can about the bones, crab chelae (pronounced "key-lay") and conch (pronounced "conk") shells. He wants to see how each one grows and recovers from breaks and cracks to design better artificial bones for humans.

Manatee bones are ideal for his research because, unlike human bones, they get stronger as the animal gets older.

If Mecholsky could unlock the secrets of the bones' strength, he might be able to create synthetic compounds for artificial human bones that blend more naturally with human bones and tissue. Such a synthetic compound also could be used to make more durable false teeth and artificial spinal disks.

Dudley Childress, a research scientist at Northwestern University's Prosthetics Research Laboratory and Rehabilitation Engineering Research Program in Chicago, said Mecholsky's research is not far off from past methods.

"Before the days of specialized materials, like stainless steel, some orthopedic surgeons used ivory," Childress said. "That was semi-successful."

Mecholsky talked about his research recently during the latest "Evenings at the Whitney" lecture series at the Whitney Laboratory in Marineland. More than 140 people came to hear him speak about how manatee bones, crabs and conch shells could show scientists how to fashion more natural artificial limbs.

While studying bones from manatees killed by boats, Mecholsky noticed two things. He found he could tell how fast the boats were going by studying the cuts and indentations on the bones. More important to his research, he learned that manatee bones got stronger and more compact as they got older.

Crab shells proved even more interesting. The shell allows some water to pass through for the minerals. Then, it takes proteins from the minerals and uses them to create a polymer that makes the shell stronger. Crabs also grow new pinchers, called chelae, on their claws when they break off.

With conch shells, Mecholsky observed they were harder when wet than dry -- possibly a key finding for human applications, given the human body is made up largely of water.

Mecholsky's research is part of a larger medical goal that sounds like something out of science fiction.

When a human loses a limb, the best hope they have are clumsy prostheses that attach to the old joint. However, scientists across the globe are working to create replacement limbs and body parts for humans that would interact with the body.

Instead of attaching something artificial, these limbs would have the look and function of a normal limb, complete with muscles and blood vessels.

Mecholsky, who has spent 30 years studying marine materials, said the day could be sooner than people think. Artificial muscles have already been created and artificial nerves and blood vessels are being perfected.

And although they're still years away, Mecholsky and his team could eventually find a way to make artificial bones to build completely new human limbs.

"Eventually, there may be synthetic, living composites," Mecholsky said.

All of which could lead to a future where the only trick to living forever is the health of the human brain. Almost everything else, from artificial bones to artificial hearts, could be created in the near future.

Yet for Mecholsky, he prefers to stick with making natural limbs to replace bulky prostheses.

"What I love about this is the challenge and excitement of being able to eventually make artificial parts," Mecholsky said.