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APRIL 28, 2003
| DEVELOPMENTS TO WATCH
Innovations -- Scientists have long studied the protein secretions that let mussels stick to rocks amid pounding waves. Some have tried to derive new adhesives from those proteins, but Northwestern University biomedical engineer Phillip B. Messersmith is pursuing a novel twist: repellents. He says that the proteins' ability to bind tightly to different surfaces makes them an ideal base for coatings on implantable medical devices. With an outer layer of protein- and cell-resistant polymers, these coatings could prevent the potentially life-threatening buildup of blood clots or bacterial colonies on cardiac stents or urinary catheters. By Otis Port |
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