Freshsein
What is the first thing that crosses your mind upon hearing the word “glue?” Craft projects, right? However, it has become much more than that! Scientists managed to create a special type of glue that reportedly has the ability to seal wounds by the time of 60 seconds? It has been referred to as “stretchy glue.”
Based on the Daily Mail, this type of stretchy glue was built by biomedical engineers in Australia and the United States. It’s in fact a surgical glue that has the power to quickly heal wounds.
The stretchy glue, called the “MeTro,” is injectable and made from a “naturally occurring protein called tropoelastin.” The source cited that it can be directly applied to a wound.
It needs a UV light for it to be fully activated. If applied on the skin, the glue forms a complete seal, which thoroughly eliminates the need for staples and stitches in surgical operations.
“The beauty of the MeTro formulation is that, as soon as it comes in contact with tissue surfaces, it solidifies into a gel-like phase without running away.”
The report stated:
“MeTro combines the natural elastic protein technologies developed in collaboration with Professor Anthony Weiss, a biochemist at the University of Sydney, with light sensitive molecules developed in collaboration with Biomaterials Research director at Harvard Medical School, Professor Ali Khademhosseini.”
According to Professor Weiss, the stretchy glue is like a silicone sealant that is usually used in repairing bathroom and kitchen tiles. He said:
“When you watch MeTro, you can see it act like a liquid, filling the gaps and conforming to the shape of the wound.”
He admitted that further research is still needed since they have yet to conduct clinical testing on human skin. However, the professor said that he is very optimistic about the findings of the study. Currently, we have to wait until it is deemed available “within the next three years.”
Watch the video about it, as uploaded by the official YouTube channel of The University of Sydney: