Slug-Inspired Glue Can Heal a Broken Heart
- When it comes to mending a broken heart, researchers say they may have found the key. And it comes in the form of a slug-inspired glue. Most heart defects today are fixed via surgeries that involve stitches or staples, but these sutures can do damage to the heart's fragile tissue, especially because the heart still has to stretch and strain to pump blood as it heals. And while surgical glues do exist, they are mean to close up skin wounds---some are toxic while others simply can't stick to a wet, beating heart.
- The slug-inspired glue could lead to less-invasive surgeries and faster healing times, which is good news for the 40,000 babies born with congenital heart defects in the U.S. each year. The researchers say it could be used on other slippery moving parts like the intestines, as well as emergency surgeries where quick sutures are necessary to take care of trauma.
- The paper, published in Science Translational Medicine, suggest this stuff could be ready to roll out to market in two to three years, assuming long-term trials and human testing prove successful.
- http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2014/01/09/slug-inspired-glue-can-heal-a-broken-heart/#.UyIiYvldUpY
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