Adhesive Technology Flexes Its MusselsAdhesive Technology Flexes Its Mussels

Natural 'glue' produced by mussels that enables them to adhere to rocks has piqued the interest of researchers in recent years as a potential source of medical adhesive technology. Coupling the natural mussel protein adhesive with ink-jet technology has yielded the latest breakthrough in this area courtesy of a research team led by scientists at North Carolina State University (NC State; Raleigh).The mussel glue could potentially obviate the need for synthetic adhesives, which can cause inflammation, tissue damage, or other such complications, according to the team. Nontoxic and biodegradable, the mussel proteins could be used to create custom medical adhesives with applications in postsurgical eye wound repair, fracture fixation, wound closure, and drug delivery, for example.To develop these bioadhesives, the researchers employed piezoelectric ink-jet technology. "This is an improved way of joining tissues because the use of the ink-jet technology gives you greater control over the placement of the adhesive," says Roger Narayan, associate professor in the joint biomedical engineering department of NC State and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "This helps ensure that the tissues are joined together in just the right spot, forming a better bond that leads to improved healing and less scarring."In addition to his work with mussels for medical applications, Narayan is also involved with the development of nanoporous membranes and biosensors. He will be speaking about such technologies and their potential medical applications in MPMN's upcoming Webcast event: Emerging Technologies Showcase, sponsored by Gems Sensors & Controls. Along with Narayan, the Webcast will include presentations by Z.L. Wang of Georgia Tech, whose work was recently named by MIT Technolgy Review as one of 2009's '10 technologies that can change the way we live,' and John Rogers of the University of Illinois who is pioneering research in flexible, stretchable electronics for medical applications. Register for our March 31 Webcast event: Emerging Technologies Showcase now!