In a paper entitled “A Blood-Resistant Surgical Glue for Minimally Invasive Repair of Vessels and Heart Defects”, published in the January 8, 2014 issue of Science Translational Medicine (online) (Ref. 1), the authors, including Gecko Biomedical co-founders Robert Langer Sc.D. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Jeffrey Karp Ph.D. (Brigham and Women’s Hospital), describe a revolutionary biodegradable and biocompatible surgical glue that was inspired by adhesive mechanisms observed in nature that function in challenging yet comparable (wet and dynamic) environments to those found in the body. (Credit: R. McKenzie/McKenzie Illustrations)
The glue is based on the combination of safe, naturally occurring compounds to form a biocompatible pre-polymer with tunable adhesive and mechanical properties. The glue is soft and elastic when applied to the wet surfaces of the wounds where it adheres gently to the tissues, permitting fine adjustments or repositioning when used with the patch. The glue is activated (polymerized) upon exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light to form a strong, leak-proof but flexible seal, giving the surgeon full control of the process. The adhesive can be engineered with mechanical characteristics similar to arteries and the digestive system, where initial applications are targeted. (Credit: R. McKenzie/McKenzie Illustrations)
Read: ‘Bio-Inspired’ Tissue Adhesive for Heart Surgery and Vessel Repair
