|
|
Article: New material mimics Mother Nature.(small intestine submucosa from pigs used to reconstruct damaged human tissues)
- Article from:
- USA TODAY
- Article date:
- February 1, 1995
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1995 Society for the Advancement of Education. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Football players who injure their knees carrying the pigskin someday may get medical help from pig intestines. Biomedical researchers at Purdue University have developed a material from the animals' intestines that, when inserted into the human body, may help it reconstruct a variety of damaged tissues, such as torn ligaments or tendons, diseased urinary bladders, or severely burned skin.
"The fundamental principle behind this material is that, once inserted into the body, it gets broken down and rebuilt into something that resembles the original tissue or organ," explains Stephen F. Badylak, director of research for Purdue's Hillenbrand Biomedical Engineering Center ...