Osteoporosis leads to 1.5 million fractures each year in the United States, of which 750,000 are vertebral compression fractures (VCFs).

 

Painful and disfiguring, VCFs often do not respond to conservative treatment such as medication or physical therapy. In the United States more than 100,000 VCFs are treated with bone cement injection (vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures). Developed originally in the 1960's, acrylic bone cements are widely used for various orthopedic applications, including the support of fractured bones and anchoring of artificial joints. Alongside the clinical efficiency of the acrylic cements there still are risks and limitations. Current acrylic cements require on-site preparation which involves release of toxic monomers. Handling limitations include inconsistent cement viscosity and a short injection time window. In addition, the curing of current acrylic cements in the human body generates heat (exothermic reaction) with high temperatures that damages surrounding tissue.

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