A SF ticky new technology that plugs the wound with a laser appears, about seven times stronger than sutures and adhesives

by Melissa Askew

By laser irradiation, a technology was created that enables us to quickly and strongly block scratches than conventional sutures and adhesives. This technology is under development by Arizona State University's Kochar · Riji et al., Which is to combine silk protein and gold nanoparticle containing material with the wound with the laser, much more efficient than before It is possible to close the wound.

Rapid Soft Tissue Approximation and Repair Using Laser-Activated Silk Nanosealants - Urie - 2018 - Advanced Functional Materials - Wiley Online Library
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/adfm.201802874

Star Trek-like Tech Seals Wounds with a Laser - IEEE Spectrum
https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-human-os/biomedical/devices/star-treklike-tech-seals-wounds-with-a-laser

Riji et al.'S technique to close a wound using a laser is surprisingly effective although it is at the stage of proof of concept to the last at the time of article creation. In experiments we succeeded in quickly closing soft tissue wounds in "porcine intestines" and "mouse skin", for example in porcine intestines it is about 7 times more sutured with laser than conventional suturing It is also clear that it is possible to plug wounds strongly and that the more obstructed parts function in the same way as the parts not scratched.

The following figure shows from the left a photograph of a scarred trace by "a suture of a wound using a conventional needle", "a bond of a wound using a conventional adhesive", "a method of closing a wound using a laser" It is a picture after 2 days after surgery. As seen in the image, the appearance when scratching it is as inconspicuous as glue and suture, but the ability to join scratches is about seven times stronger.

Deepan Jean Gauche, coauthor of the published paper, said, "We close the incision earlier and think that we want to heal early."

To close a wound with a laser, first prepare a base material made from silk protein purified from silkworm cocoon (Mayu) as a raw material. The silk protein called " fibroin " is used to block scratches because it binds to collagen, a type of protein that retains human skin cells. Cover the wound with this fibroin embedded with nanoparticles of gold and irradiate near infrared laser here. Then, the gold nanoparticles in the fibroin heat up, it can activate and bond the fibroin and the skin. In other words, materials made of gold nanoparticles and fibroin are used as sealants for wounds, and they are bonded with scratches by laser. Since the near-infrared laser irradiating the wound has a wavelength of about 800 nm, it is OK, there is no worry of damaging the skin, and yet it is sufficiently powerful to heat the gold nanoparticles in the fibroin I will.

Next, the research team made a water-soluble sealant using fibroin and gold nanoparticles and conducted experiments with mouse skin. In the experiment, it seems that this sealant was applied to the incision of 1 cm, and as a result, it seemed that it showed higher strength than suture or skin adhesive until 2 days after application. In addition, since treatment using laser is only required for about 4 minutes, the advantage that quick and appropriate treatment can be performed easily is also clarified. In addition, the intestines of pigs that were laser treated with experiments seemed to function normally just like any other part not injured.

by Josh Riemer

Since near-infrared light used as a laser penetrates deep into the body tissue, the research team is in the back of the body and it takes time to restore It is possible to utilize the technology that fills up scratches using this laser for binding and restoring blood vessels and nerve tissue It seems to be thought. "Suture sizes such as nerves and blood vessels is a work that requires a great deal of work even for a well trained surgeon," says Mr. Gauche, even an experienced physician, a small wound in the deep part of the body Because it is difficult to suture, the technology that plugs a laser-based wound may bring great benefit to the medical community.

According to Mr. Ghosh, the cost of sealing agents using fibroin and gold nanoparticles is not prohibitively expensive, so it seems possible to fit within the acceptable range for the medical center.

In addition, the researchers said that they applied laparoscopic techniques to block lives using lasers and observed the progress. If this experiment goes well, next will be experiments with pigs, and ultimately will reach clinical trials in humans.