Spiny head worms are a clingy lot . They ’re enteric parasites with retentive , cactus - like heads that are perfect for penetrating , and then grabbing hold of , the insides of their legion ’s digestive organs . Now , bioengineers have co - opt these hanger - ons ’ latch mechanism for something alterative : peel grafts .
These spiny worms ( a.k.a.acanthocephalans , a.k.a . “ prickly lil ’ hellspawn ” ) are probably well have a go at it for plaguing the intestines of Pisces , where they attach themselves by virtue of a rather clever , if devious , mechanics . The worm starts by ramming its setose head into the tissue paper lining the tunnels of a fish ’s digestive tract . Once firmly imbed in the enteric bulwark , the head swell up , anchoring itself in place . Voila – the intestinal sponge , it has installed itself .
Where most people see a barbed , weirdly phallic enteral sponge known for plaguing the inside of fish , bioengineer Jeffrey Karp saw an opportunity . By mimic the worm ’s stab - and - swell technique , Karp ’s team at Brigham Women ’s Hospital in Boston has created an adhesive dapple that could shortly supplant surgical staples in skin grafts .
The temporary hookup , an example of which is pictured here , features microneedle tips that tumesce when they ’re exposed to water . If they swell while they ’re attached to pelt , they anchor the patch in position – not unlike the head of a bristly lil ’ hellspawn ( though you ’ll notice the microneedle tips lack the worm ’s barbs , a fact that Karp ’s team says edit out down on patient tissue paper harm well ) . The details are recount in the latest effect of Nature Communications , but the diagram below sum up them nicely :
According to first author Seung Yun Yang , the adherence strength of the microneedle tips is roughly 3.5 - clock time that of formal operative basic – a figure the investigator determined by attaching and removing the fleck from the hide of dead pigs .
“ The unique invention allow the needle to adhere to soft tissue paper with minimum scathe to the tissue paper . Moreover , when it hail time to remove the adhesive material , compared to staples , there is less trauma inflicted to the tissue , blood and face , as well as a reduced risk of infection , ” said Karp in a statement . According to Karp ’s team ’s paper , the darn ’s microneedles are removed by way of the holes they make while pervade the skin ; the swollen microneedles can scrunch down enough to pass through the holes , while cause minimal damage . Once off , the wind return to their original condition , allowing the adhesive to be used again .
The researchers write that the eyepatch could also be used to deliver subcutaneous medications . What ’s more , the fact that it can be apply securely to wet tissue means it could be hold during internal operative procedures .
And to think – all that , inspired by a prickly little enteral parasite .
The researchers ’ work is release in the latest way out ofNature Communications .
bioengineeringBiologybiomimicryScience
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