Nanostructures Line Up for Healing

R&D DIGEST

Protein molecules that self-assemble into various nanostructures could be used as scaffolds to rebuild damaged cells. They could also be harnessed as biodegradable gels that stop bleeding.

Research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of Hong Kong explores a certain peptide that sequences into meshlike sheets of nanofibers when it is immersed in a salt solution. When applied to a wound or surgical incision, these peptides form a gel that seals over the wound without causing harm to nearby cells.

The researchers are particularly interested in how this gel could help with eye surgeries, because even a small amount of blood in the eye can temporarily impair vision. They have also examined the material's ability to stop bleeding in the brain and other organs.

So far, the team has only demonstrated the gel's properties on laboratory rats. Extensive human clinical trials are scheduled to begin within the next three to five years. For more information, contact principal investigator Shuguang Zhang at the Center for Biomedical Engineering, Department of Biology, MIT, at http://web.mit.edu/lms/www.

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