Broken bones regrow quickly with help of biodegradable implant

Group of researchers posing in a lab, three female and one male

Collaborating with orthopedic surgeons, a team led by biomedical engineering researchers at Penn State created CitraBoneQMg, an implantable biodegradable scaffold to support bone regrowth made by combining magnesium and glutamine with citric acid. They published research on their implant, for which they filed a U.S. patent application, in Science Advances.

The lab as classroom

Students in lab

How MRI research facilities powers education at Penn State and beyond

By Jamie Oberdick

When most people think of cutting-edge scientific research, they imagine white-coated scientists, gleaming labs, and futuristic technologies. But at Penn State’s Materials Research Institute (MRI), the work goes deeper and reaches further. Here, research is not just a pipeline for innovation. It’s a dynamic engine of education, preparing students with hands-on experience, cultivating a future-ready workforce, and fulfilling the university’s land-grant mission.