Severe fractures may soon be repaired without steel plates or screws. Instead, a simple injection of "glue," like mending porcelain, can firmly bond broken bones together. What once seemed like science fiction is rapidly becoming reality, thanks to breakthroughs in China's medical technology.

On May 21, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital (SRRSH), affiliated with Zhejiang University School of Medicine, announced that Bone 02, the world's first bone adhesive, has been approved under the National Medical Products Administration's innovative medical device special review procedure. It has also received a breakthrough device designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

This is the first time a Chinese-original orthopedic device has simultaneously earned innovation recognition from both Chinese and U.S. regulators, a major step toward large-scale clinical application.

Bone 02 addresses a long-standing challenge in orthopedic surgery: achieving strong, safe adhesion in wet, blood-rich environments. Previous bone adhesives struggled with weak bonding and insufficient biosafety. Inspired by the adhesive properties of oysters, the SRRSH team spent more than a decade on research and over 50 formula iterations to develop this bone glue. It can treat fractures with a single injection and bond fragments within two to three minutes, even in bloody surgical fields. Its maximum bonding strength exceeds 200 kg, and it naturally degrades and is absorbed by the body six months after surgery.

The recognition from Chinese and U.S. regulators signals that China-made high-end medical devices are moving from "followers" to "front-runners." It demonstrates China's growing confidence in original medical innovation and its ability to compete globally. Bone 02 is not only a medical breakthrough, but also a symbol of China's emerging leadership in cutting-edge biomedical materials.

Beyond bone glue, China has developed a range of original pharmaceuticals and medical devices, including biodegradable stents and 3D-printed personalized implants, many of which are entering or about to enter clinical use. Non-invasive and invasive brain-computer interfaces may also soon achieve breakthroughs in neural rehabilitation and motor function rebuilding.

These continuous achievements are the result of China's long-term strategic commitment to science and technology. The country upholds the principle that science and technology are primary productive forces, has implemented an innovation-driven development strategy and concentrates resources on core technologies. Strong policy support is provided for innovative enterprises and research projects.

China's total research and development (R&D) investment has continued to grow, reaching trillions of yuan in 2025 (hundreds of billions of U.S. dollars), with R&D intensity approaching the average level of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development members, mostly high-income economies. More notably, funding for basic research has soared from about 49.9 billion yuan ($7.31 billion) in 2012 to nearly 280 billion yuan ($41 billion) in recent years.

Meanwhile, the number of China's R&D personnel ranks first in the world, a position it has held for many years. Every year, more than 5 million science and engineering graduates enter the workforce, providing a sound foundation for original, zero-to-one innovations such as Bone 02.

China has also established the world's most comprehensive industrial system, allowing laboratory innovations to quickly find the necessary upstream and downstream support and transform from samples into products. This ecosystem is a key reason innovative products continue to emerge. In the context of global technology competition, China's new technologies and products can accelerate commercialization with quickly diluted costs, showing that Chinese innovation is undergoing a pivot from quantitative growth to qualitative improvement.

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon 

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