A bunch of rosettes

摘要

Persuading human bodies to accept foreign implants is a challenge. If those implants are living organs, the challenge can be met by tissue-matching and powerful drugs which suppress the immune system. But if the implant is a synthetic hip- or knee-replacement, it is a question of sticking it in and keeping one's fingers crossed. Such an artificial joint may integrate successfully with the bone to which it is attached, or it may not. So Thomas Webster of Purdue University, in Indiana, and Hicham Fenniri, of the University of Alberta, in Edmonton, Canada, hope to make the process more reliable by employing nano-technology.