Adhesives May Lead to Breakthrough in Tissue Mending

Originally Published MDDI May 2004

R&D DIGEST

Erik Swain

A research team at Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, VA) has created biocompatible adhesives that could speed the process of mending tissue. 

The adhesives could make it possible for surgeons to mend, splice, or reattach vascular tissue by applying a biopolymer coating, then activating it with a laser or another source of light. Medics in the field could also apply the material to stop bleeding. The adhesives are made from star-shaped polylactides containing an ethoxylate core and functionalized with acrylate and methacrylate pendant groups.

The project began when Nanosonic Inc. (Blacksburg), a company spun off from Virginia Tech, received a grant from the U.S. Army Research Office for a tissue-mending application and came to Virginia Tech for adhesives research. Other seed funding came from Carilion Biomedical Institute (Roanoke, VA). 

“We wanted to begin with a polymer that was known to be biocompatible and biodegradable,” said Timothy E. Long, PhD, a professor of chemistry at Virginia Tech. “Polylactides and polyglycolides are known to be. The problem was that they are rigid thermoplastics and not well suited towards adhesion. We needed to modify their composition to impart adhesive-type properties.”

The team was also interested in creating a polymer that could change shape and function when hit by light. “That's similar to what you see in a dentist's office when you go for a new filling,” said Long. “That sort of thing is not as widely practiced inside the body.” The idea, he said, is that “when the polymer interacts with light, it goes from a ‘soft' structure to a more mechanical one that can withstand the pressure of blood, and incidents of excessive bleeding and clotting can be reduced.” 

Working with Long are Craig Thatcher, head of the large-animal clinical sciences department at Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine (Blacksburg and College Park, MD), and Afia S. Karikari, a chemistry doctoral student at Virginia Tech. Karikari presented initial findings at the American Chemical Society's national meeting on March 30, 2004, in Anaheim, CA. By the fall, the team hopes to demonstrate that the adhesives can function in the body and are not toxic to tissue. After that, Nanosonic will look to develop a commercial product. 

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