Say you’re looking to make the next generation of medical tape.
You want something that will hold skin and other organs together
while they heal. You want it to be more convenient than sutures
and less brutal than staples. It has to stick easily, hold on
tightly, and come off painlessly. There are worse places to
search for inspiration than the guts of a fish. Micro-needles,
by Jeffrey Karp Fish intestines are home to a group of parasites
called spiny-headed worms, or acanthocephalans. Their most
distinctive feature is a spine-covered snout that the worm stabs
into the gut walls of its host. Once inside, it contracts two
muscles and the long snout rapidly swells into a bulb, anchoring
the worm in place. The fastened parasite can now drink deeply
from the river of nutrients washing over it, absorbing them
through its skin. To the fish, the worm’s spiny head is a health
hazard. To Jeffrey Karp, it was something to emulate. His team
at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston have spent many
years developing m