Some of the most ingenious recipes number from nature , just ask themussel . Capable of slapping itself on the side of ship and mold a speedy bond that ’s backbreaking to break , it ’s a covetable strength for an adhesive agent . A squad of scientists at MIT and the Collaborative Research Center “ active Hydrogels at Biointerfaces ” decided to take the melodic theme a step further , combine a mix of mucilaginous and viscid protein to make a new kind of superglue .

waterproofed adhesive material have been on the minds of scientist looking to introduce better resolution in wound tutelage , surgical intervention , and the prevention of contagion follow medical intervention . There does already live a material that can flexibly mystify to things while reduce bacterial build - up , and you ’re stuffed full of it right this mo .

Mucus form a protective level that sludges across the airfoil of everything in our body that is n’t cover by peel . It protect us fromunfavorable pH , bacterium , viruses , and makes procedure like eat up , cough , and sneezing more good . What if we could somehow rein in the antimicrobial trait of mucus and combine them with the waterproofed stickiness of mussel to make a unexampled , highly in force adhesive ?

To explore just that , the squad took polymer inspired by the adhesive proteins found in mussel plaque and combined them with mucin protein from pigs , as well as synthetically deduce mucin - root on polymers . They then test the resulting substances to explore their gelation and mechanically skillful holding , and trialed them as tissue adhesives and antimicrobic coating .

We expect that our coming would be compatible with mucins sourced from human being , such as salivary mucin .

The squad establish they could precisely control the gelation timescale , ranging from irregular to hours look on the molecular computer architecture of the polymer used . “ Depending on how much thwartwise - link you have , we can ensure the speed at which the liquids gelate and adhere , ” said Rainer Haag of Freie Universität Berlin in astatement . “ We can do this all on smashed control surface , at room temperature , and under very mild precondition . This is what is quite singular . ”

When used on cop skin ( as a model for human skin ) it was also an efficacious adhesive agent , and it could prevent the build - up of the bacteriaPseudomonas aeruginosa , a tight and rough-cut perpetrator in post - functional infections .

This study focused on porcine mucins and solutions of synthetical mucin - inspired polymer , but the useable options could change in future . " In this paper , we did not work with man - derived samples , " articulate George Degen , a postdoctoral researcher in MIT ’s Department of Mechanical Engineering , to IFLScience , " but we expect that our glide path would be compatible with mucins source from humans , such as salivary mucin . "

The superglue is in its early stages but the team suppose it could one day be adapted into an injection or spray that forms a sticky gel . It could be pivotal for improving patient safety during the intromission of medical implant , or as a form of wounding dressing that prevents contagion .

" We are frantic about our approach for developing adhesive hydrogels with potential applications in biomedicine ( e.g. , antifouling coating , surgical adhesive material ) or sustainable packaging , " added Degen .

We did n’t have a mucous secretion - mussel collab on our 2025 Bingo Card , but it sounds like a winning compounding .

The study is published in the journalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .