Akankshya Mahapatra 
Australian and American scientists have developed an experimental elastic surgical glue that dries in as little as 60 seconds, offering a viable and speedy alternative to sutures, wires and staples for closing wounds.
With staples and sutures also comes the risk of further damaging and infecting tissues and organs, and the procedure is not always a walk in the park for doctors, especially in hard-to-reach areas, fragile and elastic tissues such as the heart, lungs and arteries.
In the study published in the journal of Science Translational Medicine in October, the researchers said they wanted to develop a sturdy, fast-drying medical glue that would be able to conform to tissues that continuously expand or contract and relax.
While some medical glues already exist, they often adhere weakly, are not particularly flexible and frequently cannot be used in very wet conditions or mechanically-challenging places in the body.
It can be directly applied on a wound no matter how ‘wet’; and after being activated with a UV light it solidifies to create a complete seal in a matter of seconds.
The adhesive also has a built-in enzyme that allows it to dissolve over time, which can be anywhere from mere hours to several months, without any signs of toxicity. The type and location of the wound will determine how long the sealant lasts, the scientists said.
The revolutionary glue, still awaiting human clinical trials, is expected to be available for human treatment within the next three years.
Image Source : CNN
