In spite of medical advances, wound-related complications arising after operations can still be life-threatening. In order to avoid these complications in the future, a new nanoparticle-based tissue glue has been developed by researchers at Empa.

There are internal and external areas of the body where it is difficult to apply stitches. Although medical science has made considerable progress in recent decades, complications still arise, especially after operations. In some cases, these are fatal. Particularly with internal wounds, there is a risk of haemorrhage, which is difficult to treat because it is not easy to stitch or apply a plaster to internal wounds.

Now there is an innovative tissue glue, the purpose of which is to help to close wounds optimally in areas where they are difficult to locate or access, and to avoid diffuse and often life-threatening haemorrhages. The idea of a tissue glue is not new: conventional glues consist primarily of fibrin, a protein produced by the body which plays a key role in clotting the blood. Fibrin is not only very expensive, but can also trigger immune responses, which frequently result in serious complications.

Image Credit:  Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

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