MIT Engineers Create New Quick-Binding Surgical Tape

BOSTON (CBS) -- Inspired by the sticky substance that helps spiders catch their prey, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a super strong surgical tape.

It's a challenge for surgeons to bind wet tissues together. Sutures are often used but they can cause tissue damage, infections, pain, and scars. Surgical glue is also used but it can take several minutes to bind quickly and can drip onto other parts of the body.

Inspired by the sticky material that spiders use to absorb water from their prey, engineers at MIT have created a double-sided tape that absorbs water from wet tissues and binds them together in just five seconds. Then over time, the tape dissolves.

They said the tape could one day replace sutures and be used to heal wounds and seal incisions in a variety of organs like the lungs, intestines, and heart. And it could also be used to attach implantable devices to organs inside the body.