#6 Gelling agent used in pastries could save lives as anti-hemorrhaging bandage
In Texas, researchers at Texas A&M University College of Engineering developed an injectable bandage that could help avoid death from hemorrhaging in battlefields, car accidents, shootings, or other places where fast or excessive blood loss may occur. With a gelling agent commonly used in preparing pastries, researchers from the Inspired Nanomaterials and Tissue Engineering Laboratory fabricated an injectable bandage to stop bleeding and promote wound healing. They used a commonly used thickening agent known as kappa-carrageenan obtained from seaweed, and nanosilicates to form injectable hydrogels to promote hemostasis (the process to stop bleeding) and facilitate wound healing via a controlled release of therapeutics.
“Injectable hydrogels are promising materials for achieving hemostasis in case of internal injuries and bleeding, as these biomaterials can be introduced into a wound site using minimally invasive approaches,” said Dr. Akhilesh K. Gaharwar, assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University. “An ideal injectable bandage should solidify after injection in the wound area and promote a natural clotting cascade. In addition, the injectable bandage should initiate wound healing response after achieving hemostasis.”
Gelling agent used in pastries could save lives as anti-hemorrhaging bandage