Indian scientists find material for quick wound healing

Indian scientists have found a new material with surprising self-healing properties that can be exploited to tailor a quick wound healing patch for soldiers in conflict zones or victims of a bomb blast.

If the researchers can finally make a medical product out of this wonder material known as self-healing hydrogel, it would be of immense benefit to soldiers in a conflict zone or the victims of any disaster, many of whom require temporary on the spot healing of wounds before they are transported to a hospital for surgery.

The quick wound healing would prevent blood loss and hence save lives. For the first time, scientists showed how these hydrogel can stick to each other without any assistance from other chemicals or external agents. The combined gels can even be stretched without reduction in their wielding strength.

They, however, can be removed from the human body by changing its acidity level, which can be done through a simple injection in a clinic.

“The healing would be instantaneous, temporary and reversible. Once these patients are brought to hospitals, doctors can open the wound easily and stitch for permanent solution,” R A Mashelkar, former director-general of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research told Deccan Herald.

Self-healing properties of hydrogels – a jelly-like cross-linked polymer that absorbs water – were reported in the March 5 issue of the “Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences”.

Mashelkar and his colleagues at Pune-based National Chemical Laboratory who researched on hydrogels for years are quite excited to discover its new self-healing properties that open up the possibility of many exciting medical applications such as tissue adhesives.

“In this study, we have demonstrated a number of potential applications of these hydrogels such as sealants, tissue adhesive to heal stomach perforations, and drug delivery to stomach ulcers,” said Shyni Varghese, a former student of Mashelkar who had moved to University of California, San Diego from NCL.

Materials that could intrinsically repair the damage caused by wear and tear would be more economical and environmental friendly because materials that heal at ambient conditions would obviate the need to dispose cracked and damaged products, she said, adding these materials can be used to make soft actuators and robotics.