Whiskey The Dog is a four-legged test-pilot for the future of skeletal biotech.
He’d gotten sick and needed some work on his jaw. But rather than just go the standard route where things never quite return to normal, Drs. Huey, Arzi and Verstraete at UC Davis came up with a new experiment to try on Whiskey and 7 of his closest friends.
Using some titanium brackets, a hard-sponge-bone-scaffold and special proteins, they were able to fill in a full 2-inch-long gap in his jaw.
Within 3 months, the area had integrated with the surrounding bonestructure and filled-in to be nearly as good!
The hope is that Whiskey’s success can serve as a template for large function and appearance replacements in both humans and their nobler friends in the future.
More Details at the links:
Photo Credits:
Whiskey The Dog, by Gregory Urquiaga
Links:
• Source: UCDavis-Whiskey’s Jaw
• via: Engadget-AltWeek
• More Coverage: PhysOrg-Whiskey’s Jaw
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