Velcro (based on how some plant seeds adhere to the fur of cattle), the shape of the front of the trains (similar to that of some birds to improve their aerodynamics) or Kevlar (based on the shape of some spider webs) are just a few examples of how man has known how to look at nature and apply it to new technologies in different fields. And obviously medicine could not be less.
Tissue grafts and the use of tiny flexible electronic devices are widely used tools in regenerative medicine or wound healing. However, on many occasions surgeons have serious problems to manipulate these delicate, inconsistent elements. Fortunately, nature offers clues to a possible solution, as demonstrated by the new device devised by a team of researchers from the University of Illinois inspired by an octopus’s suction cup. The invention is capable of transferring delicate tissues or electronic sheets to the patient’s body with record speed and precision.
“A fundamental issue in tissue transplant practice, such as corneal transplant surgery, is finding a safe way to ensure surgical grip in soft tissue transfer. Handling these living substances remains a great challenge, as they are brittle and easily wrinkle when removed from culture media,” Hyunjoon Kong, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Illinois, said in a university statement.
The experts looked at the way octopuses and squids handle any object under different conditions.
The team of experts sought a way to quickly adhere and release thin and delicate sheets with cell cultures without damaging them, which led them to turn to the animal kingdom for inspiration: They noticed how an octopus or a squid is capable of picking up any object, both wet and dry, simply by pressing its suction cups on its target. Instead of developing a chemical adhesive, the researchers had an idea: mimic octopus suction cups to design a new device that had similar gripping power.
easy adhesion
The researchers, whose study was recently published in the journal Sciene Advancemade a surgical manipulator made from a layer of soft, temperature-sensitive hydrogel, which they attached to an electric heater. The device works like this: every time you want to manipulate a very thin sheet or tissue, they gently heat the hydrogel to shrink it. The product is then slightly expanded, sucking the soft tissue or electronic film. They then place the object at its destination and turn off the heater, causing the gel to slough off the tissue. The entire process lasts only about 10 seconds, and can be carried out in a comfortable and agile way, according to the researchers themselves.
Incorporation of biosensors
The experts took the opportunity to integrate sensors that could help improve adherence of the new devicein order to “monitor the deformation of the target objects during contact and, in turn, adjust the suction force to a level where the materials retain their structural integrity and functionality – says Kong – By doing so, we can improve the safety and precision of handling these materials. In addition, our goal is to examine the therapeutic efficacy of cells and tissues transferred by this new handler.”
The invention is still a prototype, and future research will be necessary to guarantee its safe practice, but they give us an idea of to what extent Nature-based solutions (a technique called biomimetics) can help us find new ways.