A team of researchers from China has developed a bio-glue that can close fatal wounds within seconds. The glue has not been tested on humans yet but is already showed promising results when used on animals.
To date, uncontrolled post-traumatic bleeding is one of the leading causes of death in patients suffering from severe injuries. This situation led the Chinese researchers to create a glue that they hope will prevent uncontrolled bleeding of the heart and arteries one day.
In their paper published in the journal Nature Communications, the researchers wrote:
“Uncontrollable bleeding is a major problem in surgical procedures and after major trauma. Existing hemostatic agents poorly control hemorrhaging from traumatic arterial and cardiac wounds because of their weak adhesion to wet and mobile tissues. Here we design a photo-reactive adhesive that mimics the extracellular matrix (ECM) composition..”
Bio-Glue to Seal Wounds
The Chinese scientists demonstrated in a video how the bio-glue works. Using a pig liver, they made an incision and allowed fresh blood to flow. Then, they applied a few drops of the bio-glue on the open wound and hit the spot with UV light.
Just a few seconds after the glue was applied, the incision was already sealed, and the bleeding stopped. The scientists reportedly tested the bio-glue on live pigs several times.
In some cases, they made about 4 to 5-millimeter cuts on the pigs’ carotid arteries. In other experiments, they punctured 6-millimeter holes into the animals’ beating heart. They used the glue in both situations to stop the bleeding.
According to the study, the pigs used in all the experiments survived the ordeal. In fact, the wound repairs were able to withstand high blood pressure.
The glue is reportedly made of water, gelatin, and mixture of other chemicals. At the moment, the researchers want to do more experimentation to ensure that the new bio-glue is safe to be used on humans.
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