The Royal Society’s Health Innovations

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The Royal Society Summer Exhibition in London showcases the latest medical research. Broken bones often fix themselves without any help. But big breaks can need a bone graft. Scientists at the University of Glasgow are combining 3-D printing of plastic or gels with stem cells - to grow replacement “bones” in the lab. So far it’s been tried in a dog and they hope to eventually help landmine victims. The word radiation might conjure up images of danger – but it is also used to detect and treat cancer. Researchers at Kings College, London hope to build on the success of an injectable form of radiation used to treat prostate cancer. Every day our eyelids travel the length of a football pitch – blinking to keep the surface of our eyes healthy. Up to 30% of people in Asia have dry eye disease – which can result from defective glands which produce the oily part of tears. Researchers at Aston University in Birmingham have created an app to help diagnose more sufferers. Slugs are the inspiration behind a pioneering medical adhesive which might repair even organs which move like the heart and lungs. The slime produced by the Dusky Arion slug is so sticky it acts like a glue even when it’s wet. (Photo: Dr Samantha Terry checks Claudia's radiation levels with a Geiger counter © BBC)