A research group at UCLA’s Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering designed a novel, customizable bioadhesive that can stop bleeding quickly and effectively in injured tissue.
BACKGROUND: Traumatic injuries that involve excessive bleeding are a significant cause of mortality world-wide and account for as much as 40% of preventable fatalities. There is a growing emphasis on controlling injury-related bleeding through research and development in bioadhesives. Bioadhesives are substances or materials that bond living tissue together and are used in medical applications, such as wound closure and surgical adhesives. The key qualities of a good bioadhesive are strong bonding with tissues and high biocompatibility. However, many existing bioadhesives have several limitations, such as blood incompatibility, insufficient adhesion to wet surfaces, weak mechanical properties, and complex application procedures. Next-generation bioadhesives are needed to improve excessive bleeding in emergency healthcare.
INNOVATION: The Annabi Lab at UCLA engineered a new bioadhesive that prevents bleeding in living tissue. This bioadhesive has strong mechanical properties that is fatigue-resistant, has robust adhesion to wet tissue within a few seconds, can adjust its shape to accommodate body movement, and stops bleeding efficiently. Researchers engineered this hydrogel through a novel chemical process. They fine-tuned molecular interactions with different compounds to accomplish several things: build a primary molecular backbone of the hydrogel, create instant tissue-material interactions, strengthen its mechanical properties, enhance tissue adhesion in wet conditions, and create antioxidant and antibacterial properties for wound healing. This state-of-the-art bioadhesive demonstrated in vitro and in vivo biocompatibility and the ability to cease bleeding quickly and effectively compared to commercially available bioadhesive, Surgicel. The design strategy to create this novel and highly effective bioadhesive holds great promise in emergency medicine and for future research and development in hemostatic bioadhesives.
POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS:
- Wound closure/surgical adhesive
- Tissue regeneration/engineering
ADVANTAGES:
- Biodegradable so no need for removal post-surgery
- Contains selectively tunable mechanical properties that can match stiffness of different types of tissue
- Contain antioxidant and antibacterial properties for wound healing
- Robust wet adhesion
- Can rapidly stop bleeding and can seal injured tissue
- The bioadhesive can be 3D printed to accommodate wounds and injuries with any shape and size.
- On demand easily detachment in case of displacement and need for removal
- Can promote regeneration and tissue healing
DEVELOPMENT-TO-DATE: The bioadhesive was built in vitro, and its efficacy was tested in vivo using different animal models.