Sound and bubbles used to make long lasting bandages stickier

The breakthrough findings, published in the journal Science, could lead to new advances in medical adhesives, especially in cases where adhesives are difficult to apply such as on wet skin.

“We were surprised to find that by simply playing around with ultrasonic intensity, we can control very precisely the stickiness of adhesive bandages on many tissues,” says lead author Dr. Zhenwei Ma, a Killam Postdoctoral Fellow at UBC.

“Bandages, glues, and stickers are common bioadhesives that are used at home or in clinics. However, they don’t usually adhere well on wet skin. It’s also challenging to control where they are applied and the strength and duration of the formed adhesion,” says senior author Dr. Jianyu Li, a professor at McGill University.

In collaboration with physicists Dr. Outi Supponen and Dr. Claire Bourquard from the Institute of Fluid Dynamics at ETH Zurich, the team experimented with ultrasound induced microbubbles to make adhesives stickier.

“The ultrasound induces many microbubbles, which transiently push the adhesives into the skin for stronger bioadhesion,” says Dr. Supponen. “We can even use theoretical modeling to estimate exactly where the adhesion will happen.”

The study shows that the adhesives are compatible with living tissue in animal models. The adhesives can also potentially be used to deliver drugs through the skin.

“This paradigm-shifting technology will have great implications in many branches of medicine,” says Dr. Zu-hua Gao, professor and head of the department of pathology and laboratory medicine at UBC. “We’re very excited to translate this technology for applications in clinics for tissue repair, cancer therapy, and precision medicine.”

“By merging mechanics, materials and biomedical engineering, we envision the broad impact of our bioadhesive technology in wearable devices, wound management, and regenerative medicine,” says Professor Li, who is also a Canada Research Chair in Biomaterials and Musculoskeletal Health.