Indiana Jones hates snakes. And he's certainly not alone. The fear of snakes
is so common it even has its own name: ophidiophobia.
Kibret Mequanint doesn't particularly like the slithery reptiles either (he
actually hates them too) but the Western University bioengineer and his
international collaborators have found a novel use for snake venom: a body
tissue 'super glue' that can stop life-threatening bleeding in seconds.
Over the past 20 years, Mequanint has developed a number of
biomaterials-based medical devices and therapeutic technologies -- some of
which are either licensed to medical companies or are in the advanced stage
of preclinical testing.
His latest collaborative research discovery is based on a blood clotting
enzyme called reptilase or batroxobin found in the venom of lancehead snakes
(Bothrops atrox), which are amongst the most poisonous snakes in South
America.
Taking advantage of this clotting property, Mequanint and the international
research team designed a body tissue adhesive that incorporates the special
enzyme into a modified gelatin that can be packaged into a small tube for
easy, and potentially life-saving, application.
"During trauma, injury and emergency bleeding, this 'super glue' can be
applied by simply squeezing the tube and shining a visible light, such as a
laser pointer, over it for few seconds. Even a smartphone flashlight will do
the job," said Mequanint, a Western engineering professor.
Compared to clinical fibrin glue, considered the industry gold standard for
clinical and field surgeons, the new tissue sealant has 10 times the
adhesive strength to resist detachment or washout due to bleeding. The blood
clotting time is also much shorter, cutting it in half from 90 seconds for
fibrin glue to 45 seconds for the new snake venom 'super glue.'
This new biotechnology translates to less blood loss and more life-saving.
The super-sealant was tested in models for deep skin cuts, ruptured aortae,
and severely injured livers -- all considered as major bleeding situations.
"We envision that this tissue 'super glue' will be used in saving lives on
the battlefield, or other accidental traumas like car crashes," said
Mequanint. "The applicator easily fits in first aid kits too."
In addition, the new snake venom 'super glue' can be used for suture-free,
surgical wound closures.
Snake extract-laden hemostatic bioadhesive gel cross-linked by visible light
was published today in the journal Science Advances. For the discovery,
Mequanint collaborated with bioengineers, scientists and medical
practitioners at the University of Manitoba and Army Medical University in
Chongqing, China.
"The next phase of study which is underway is to translate the tissue 'super
glue' discovery to the clinic," said Mequanint.
Reference:
Yicheng Guo, Ying Wang, Xiaohong Zhao, Xue Li, Quan Wang, Wen Zhong, Kibret
Mequanint, Rixing Zhan, Malcolm Xing, Gaoxing Luo. Snake extract–laden
hemostatic bioadhesive gel cross-linked by visible light. Science Advances,
2021; 7 (29): eabf9635 DOI:
10.1126/sciadv.abf9635