Citric acid is the base for a polymer developed by a Professor Guillermo Ameer, which can be used in replacement of blood vessels and patch up damaged bone. He explained the procedure to make this polymer at the ‘American Chemical Society’ meeting in Chicago. According to Professor Ameer, combining citric acid with 1,8-octanediol- a non-toxic chemical results in a stretchy and strong yellow rubber that can be moulded into a wide variety of shapes and used to replace damaged body parts. when inserted into the body, the unique polymer causes almost no irritation and causes no adverse reaction to the body. This makes it a worthy replacement for the currently used PTFE tubes that clog within the first year and become nearly useless within four years. The polymer when mixed with hydroxyapatite powder gives out a very hard material that can be used to repair broken bones. As the tests made on animals revealed, it allows natural bone to grow into and over it, making the damaged bone as good as new. Hydroxyapatite powder is the same material that makes up natural bone and hence artificial bone is accepted without any adverse effects. Source.

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