MIT Develop Spray That Can Stop Bleeding Instantly

Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the U.S. have created a nanoscale biological coating that can halt bleeding within a few seconds.

The spray contains thrombin, a clotting agent found in blood and tannic acid, a small molecule found in natural tea.

The spray was tested on a sponge and could be stored for several months before use.

This is very useful for soldiers as it can be easily carried, stored and used in the battle arena as it has a very long shelf life.

Uncontrolled bleeding is the main cause of death in the battlefield.

Earlier, the army personnel used tourniquets, a cuff-like material used to stop bleeding, but that was not very effective.

Though fibrin dressings and glues are much effective, they have a very short shelf life.

According to the researchers, this spray is not only useful for soldiers but also for the general public, as it can be easily carried anywhere.

"The ability to easily package the blood-clotting agent in this sponge system is very appealing because you can pack them, store them and then pull them out rapidly," says Paula Hammond, who led the research team.

"A key advantage of the spray method is that it allows a large amount of thrombin to be packed into the sponges, coating even the interior fibers," says David King, instructor in surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital.

"All of the existing hemostatic materials suffer from the same limitation, which is being able to deliver a dense enough package of hemostatic material to the bleeding site. That's why this new material is exciting," he said.

Shrilk: Insect-inspired suture

 

Clear, biodegradable, biocompatible Shrilk! Part silk, part shrimp shell, this new material has the strength and toughness of aluminum alloy – but at only half the weight.

The cheap material could one day replace plastic in a range of consumer products. It could also be used safely in a variety of medical procedures: to suture wounds or serve as scaffolding for tissue regeneration.

For some bioinspiration, the team led by Donald Ingber from the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University looked to insect cuticle – such as that found in the rigid exoskeleton of a housefly or grasshopper.

So why is insect cuticle amazing?

In nature, it provides protection without adding weight or bulk. It deflects chemicals and physical strains on the insect without damaging the bug’s insides. It provides structure for wings. It’s so light, it doesn’t inhibit flight; it’s so thin, it allows great flexibility. And it even varies its properties: rigid along the wings and elastic along the joints.

Insect cuticle is made of layers of chitin and protein that’s organized like plywood. So the team engineered a thin, clear film with the same composition and structure.

They named it Shrilk because it’s composed of protein from silk and from chitin, which is commonly extracted from discarded shrimp shells. That’s also why it can be produced cheaply. It’s also easily molded into various shapes, such as tubes.

By controlling the water content, they were able to reproduce wide variations in stiffness, from elastic to rigid.

As a potentially cheap, environmentally safe alternative to plastic, Shrilk could be used to make trash bags, packaging, and diapers that degrade quickly. As a strong, biocompatible material, it could be used to suture wounds that bear high loads, such as in hernia repair.

The work was published in Advanced Materials last week.

Read More at Harvard Portal