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SALT LAKE CITY — A parasitic worm is the model for a new surgical technique for skin grafts.
The pomphorhynchus laevis is an endoparasite that swells its proboscis — an appendage from the head — to attach to its host's intestinal wall. The tiny creature was the inspiration behind a new surgical tape covered in microneedles that mimic the proboscis swelling as they contact water inside the skin.
"Parasites have all sorts of neat tricks that they use to latch onto and colonize hosts," Jeffrey Karp, lead author of the study, told LA Times. "So we thought maybe if we looked into how parasites can colonize their hosts, we might be able to identify new mechanisms of adhesion."
The tape is covered in rows of the microneedles, and can be used in place of sutures or staples, reducing the risk of scarring or infection. Removing the tape and shallow needles is also less damaging, the researchers at Karp Labs said.
Though the adhesive is three times stronger than surgical staples, the technology could be used on such delicate procedures as skin grafts, offering flexibility that other methods may not.
The needles could serve a second purpose, researchers said: injecting drugs to the body.
Karp often looks to nature for answers in the medical world.
A current project to develop a better medical needle or adhesive patch is drawing inspiration from the Northern American porcupine. The animal's iconic needles easily penetrate flesh, but are difficult to remove. The barbs on the needles, Karp said, act as a serrated blade on the way in, and hook on the way out. A medical needle, say for an IV, with the same capability would insert and stay safely in place.
