Czech scientists develop nano-patch that helps heal without scarring
Nanofiber patches are being developed by researchers at the Technical University of Liberec, in collaboration with a team at the Biomedical Center in Pilsen. The patches can cover and protect the intestine after surgery, promote healing, and reduce the risk of intestinal leakage and other complications. They are currently being tested on animals.
An anesthetized pig lies on the operating table at the biomedical center in Pilsen. Dr. Jan Ševčík has removed the diseased part of its intestine, but now he is sewing the remaining parts back together so that digestion can continue and the intestine can heal properly.
This area of the pig’s body is prone to complications such as leakage, which can cause peritonitis or even sepsis. Patches are designed to prevent this. Dr. Václav Liška from the Biomedical Center in Pilsen shared the details with Czech Radio:
"It's a delicate structure, imagine a fabric with the consistency of a plastic bag. Now we peel it off the backing fabric and apply it to the intestine so that it adheres as much as possible."
The patch looks like a soft bandage. It is slightly moistened, pressed against the intestine, and once all the stitches are covered, the procedure is done.
"The application is easy, which is also the goal for the simplest possible use in human medicine in the future," adds Dr. Liška.
The patch is biodegradable and dissolves in the body after a certain period of time. Therefore, it does not need to be removed from the body. Dr. Markéta Hujerová explains the methodology:
"The nanofibers are white and very soft; you can imagine them as a napkin or handkerchief. They are very inconspicuous because nanofiber structures are invisible to the naked eye; we need a special microscope to see into the nanoworld.”
She works as an assistant professor at the Department of Nonwoven Textiles and Nanofiber Materials at the Technical University of Liberec.
No scars
Under such a microscope, we would see that some fibers are up to ten thousand times thinner than a human hair. According to Dr. Hujerová, the nanofiber patch helps tissue healing precisely because its structure resembles intercellular matter.
"That's why our body reacts very well to nanofibers, and they can serve as a scaffold, supporting cells so that they can more easily grow over the affected tissue and create new tissue, often without scarring," explains the scientist.
Scientists are currently testing smart patches on intestines that have had to be removed from the abdominal cavity due to tumors or inflammation, for example. In the future, they would also like to test them in liver transplants or gynecological surgeries.
