91社区 scientists turn marine waste into a sustainable solution for wound care, wearable devices and more听听
An interdisciplinary team of 91社区 researchers has developed an ultra-strong, environmentally friendly medical glue, or bioadhesive, made from marine waste. The discovery has promising applications for wound care, surgeries, improved drug delivery, wearable devices and medical implants.听
鈥淏eing able to produce鈥痝lues that can close wounds鈥� or make something strongly adhere to the skin is critical for many medical鈥痠nterventions,鈥� said Audrey Moores, Professor in the Department of Chemistry. 听
鈥淢any existing bioadhesive products are based on toxic compounds, while overall, there is a need to explore new materials that demonstrate both high adhesion and strong fatigue resistance, or the ability to hold even if pulled apart repeatedly," Moores said. 听
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Moore and main co-author Jianyu Li, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Canada Research Chair in Tissue Repair and Regeneration reported their findings in 鈥淣anowhisker glues for fatigue-resistant bioadhesion and interfacial functionalization,鈥� published in Nature Communications.听听
Naturally sourced nanowhiskers give the glue its strength听
The new bioadhesive is composed of chitosan, a chemically modified form of chitin, the natural building block found in the exoskeletons of shellfish and certain fungi.听
The researchers modified the chitosan to have a nanowhisker shape 鈥� a feature that proved to be essential to the bioadhesive鈥檚 effectiveness 鈥� using a mechanochemical process pioneered by co-authors Moores and Edmond Lam in previous studies.听听听
听鈥淲e chemically manipulate this material to turn it into nanochitosan, which has a range of different properties we can finetune. Using this nanomaterial, we can make nanoglue,鈥� Moores said.听
Ultrasound turns whiskers into interlocking structures听
To apply the nanoglue, researchers use a unique ultrasound technology developed by the Li group to penetrate the skin.听 When exposed to sound waves, the nanowhiskers not only adhere firmly to skin but also interlock into a rigid, resilient scaffolding that drastically enhances the glue鈥檚 strength and durability.听
鈥淚magine you have a Band-Aid on your hand. It鈥檚 difficult to get it to stay, because your hand moves a lot,鈥� Moores explained.听听
鈥淭o get it to stick, you need the skin to be permeable to the glue. We used microneedles or ultrasound for that.听
听鈥淲e were surprised to see that ultrasound was critical to making a strong glue. While our initial strategy was to get the nanoglue to stick to the skin, we also discovered ultrasounds helped build a complex, interconnected network of our nanostructures. These nanowhisker glues are simply better than the current glues out there.鈥澨�
They say the nanostructure has promising applications beyond health care, in many engineering contexts.听
Allergy-safe, and potentially vegan听
The bioadhesive is also fully biocompatible, even for people with seafood allergies.听
鈥淧eople who are allergic to shellfish are not allergic to chitin, but the proteins. We can remove these in the manufacturing process and avoid allergic reactions. 听
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鈥淲e could also theoretically make a vegan version from fungi,鈥� Moores added.听
About this study听
鈥�,鈥� by Audrey Moores, Jianyu Li, Shuaibing Jiang, Tony Jin, Tianqin Ning, Zhen Yang, Zhenwei Ma, Ran Huo, Yixun Cheng, Davis Kurdyla, Edmond Lam and Rong Long, was published in Nature Communications.听听
This research was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the National Research Council Ocean program, the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the National Institutes of Health of the United States, the Canada Research Chairs Program, the Fonds de Recherche du Qu茅bec Nature et Technologies (FRQNT) - Centre for Green Chemistry and Catalysis and 91社区.听