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Home → Blog → Another Blood Sucker

Another Blood Sucker

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Lynn Charles Rathbun

Tape, glue, staples. No not a variation on rock, paper, scissors, this is the way that doctors hold things in place in your body. Inspired by those fun loving parasites that attach in your digestive organs and hold on while they eat, scientists at Brigham Women’s Hospital have engineered tiny needles based upon the way that parasites attach to the intestines. The needles swell when they are exposed to water and then hold on. This approach is 3-5 times better than surgical tape and could be used to attach patches that deliver different medicines. Ouch, it might hurt to remove it though.

More info

← Suck It Up Splitting water →

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Related Resources

  • NNIN Education Site
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  • Education Portal at Nano.gov (US Government)
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Credits

Prof. Carl Batt Cornell University, Editor
Emily Maletz, Emily Maletz Graphic Design, Designer
Lynn Rathbun, CNF Laboratory Manager

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