Tissue fusing: Researchers develop methods for soldering wounds

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The research team of Empa and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich) has applied for a patent for the process, Empa announced on Tuesday.

Soldering wounds with the new method works in principle the same as soldering two metals together. You need a so-called solder, which melts at a low temperature, with which you can glue the two parts together. For metals, a metal mixture with copper is usually used as solder.

The researchers have developed a protein-gelatin paste that serves as a soldering agent to solder tissue together. There are two types of nanoparticles in this paste. On the one hand, so-called titanium nitride nanoparticles, which convert light into heat. When the paste is irradiated with a laser, it heats up. On the other hand, the paste contains so-called bismuth vanadate particles, which serve as a kind of thermometer. According to Empa, they emit light at a specific wavelength depending on the temperature, allowing highly accurate temperature control in real time.

In laboratory tests with various tissue samples, the researchers achieved rapid, stable union of wounds, as they demonstrated in a study published in the journal ‘Small Methods’. For example, on organs such as the pancreas or the liver. According to the study, sealing pieces of tissue such as the urethra, fallopian tubes and intestines was equally successful.

(SDA)

Source:Blick