Wounds to arteries and internal organs pose a major challenge to surgeons. Traditional methods of suturing or stapling together wound edges often damage fragile tissue and leave the wound vulnerable to infection. This problem is compounded in lung and heart injuries, where surgeons must contend with the expanding and contracting motion of the tissue, and where sutures do not prevent fluid from leaking through incisions. A team of researchers may have solved these problems by creating MeTro gel, a surgical glue designed to seal shifting, wet tissue.
“We engineered a naturally derived elastic, which is highly biocompatible and slowly biodegradable, by using a modified human protein,” says Nasim Annabi, assistant professor at Northeastern Univ. and lecturer at Harvard-MIT’s Division of Health Sciences and Technology. “This sealant material offers superior adhesion and mechanical properties and burst-pressure resistance compared to commercially available clinical sealants. Moreover, the engineered MeTro hydrogel can seal liquid and air leakages from surgical procedures without the need for suturing,” she says.
The research team, led by Annabi and Ali Khademhosseini, associate...
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