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Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
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?????????????????????????????????????????????????Sunday, July 30, 2017
Slimy slugs inspire 'potentially lifesaving' medical glue
Slugs were the inspiration for a new kind of super-sticky bio glue
An adhesive inspired by slugs
A defensive mucus secreted by slugs has inspired a new kind of adhesive that could transform medicine, say scientists.
The "bio-glue" is incredibly strong, moves with the body and crucially, sticks to wet surfaces.
The team at Harvard University have even used it to seal a hole in a pig's heart.
Experts have described the glue as "really cool" and said there would be "absolutely huge demand" for it.
Getting something to stick to a damp surface has been a huge challenge -
think what happens when you get a plaster on your finger wet.
The university's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering
turned to the "Dusky Arion" slug, which creates sticky mucus as a
defence against predators.
"We engineered our material to take on the key features of slug mucus
and the result is really positive," researcher Dr Jianyu Li said.
The bio-glue they produced has two components - the actual adhesive and a biochemical "shock absorber".
The incredible stickiness comes from the trinity of the attraction
between the positively charged glue and negatively charged cells in the
body; covalent bonds between atoms in the cell surface and the glue, and
the way the glue physically penetrates tissue surfaces.
An adhesive inspired by slugs
But it is the shock-absorbing component that is crucial - it takes the
physical stress and strain, so the adhesive component stays stuck.
Experiments, published in the journal Science, show the glue is not toxic to living tissue and is three times stronger than any other medical adhesive.
Dr Li told the BBC News website: "I'm really amazed by this system. We
have solved a big challenge and opened up big opportunities in the
medical setting.
"The applications are pretty broad - the material is very tough,
stretchy and compliant, which is very useful when you want to interface
with a dynamic tissue like the heart or lungs."
It could be used as a patch on the skin or as a liquid injected into wounds deeper in the body.
There are also ideas about using it as a way of releasing drugs to
specific parts of the body or to stick medical devices to organs like
those to help the heart beat.
The glue adheres to a surface within three minutes, but then gets
stronger. Within half an hour it is as strong as the body's own
cartilage.
'Huge demand'
Dr Chris Holland, from the department of materials science and
engineering at the University of Sheffield, said: "It's really cool, I
must admit.
"It is clear it outperforms the alternatives on the market and oh my goodness, there is potentially absolutely huge demand.
"They are still at an early stage, but this kind of thing could be part of a surgeon's standard kit."
But there is not yet a technology ready for medical use.
So far it has proven its capabilities mechanically in the laboratory, in
tests on rats and by sealing a hole in a pig's heart through tens of
thousands of simulated heartbeats.
The Wyss Institute, which has applied for a patent, says the glue is cheap to make.
'Life-saver'
It is also working on biodegradable versions that would naturally disappear as the body heals.
Prof John Hunt, the research theme lead for medical technologies and
advanced materials at Nottingham Trent University, told the BBC: "The
need for new adhesives as glues or tapes is clear to all healthcare
providers.
"This one has the potential to improve healthcare and save lives.
"This research is really exciting [but] the detail of the
biocompatibility will need to go beyond what is presented in the paper
to guide the long-term clinical efficacy, safety, and therefore the real
medical applications."
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