Barnacle-inspired glue helps stem rapid blood loss

• Author: Karie Bate
• Position: Freelance writer

Hyunwoo Yuk and his fellow researchers mixed sticky micro-particles and silicone oil to repel blood from tissue. The solution creates a strong seal around tissues and offers a breakthrough in performance beyond traditional approaches to controlling bleeding. (Photo: Courtesy of Hyunwoo Yuk)

“Engineers are folks who love to solve problems based on scientific tools and knowledge,” he says. “I am always motivated when I learn about an important problem that has not been well solved and falls near the area of my expertise – even more so if it resonates personally.”

When he was 22 years old, Hyunwoo Yuk’s younger brother fell from five floors and suffered traumatic injuries, including severe hemorrhage from aortic damage. He later found out that the multiple operations his brother underwent took twice as long as planned due to challenges in controlling bleeding. “Having a strong personal motivation [to solve] the problem helped me get inspired and search for better solutions,” he says.

His passion for home baking also sparks his creations. “I particularly enjoy making muffins. They’re easy to make and it’s fun to add different ingredients to them. They probably reflect my taste as a material scientist/engineer, as I like to make materials with relatively simple components but better performance.”

Out of the box approach to tackling rapid blood loss

Over the last seven years of his postgraduate studies, Hyunwoo Yuk has been baking a portfolio of bio-adhesive technologies to rapidly stop and control bleeding in people suffering from traumatic injuries or undergoing intensive surgeries.

The latest of his inventions, developed over the past four years, is a white toothpaste-like glue or paste that can adhere to surfaces covered with blood. And it’s out of the box. He got inspiration from none other than the humble barnacle – a tiny crustacean that clings to rocks – to drive his innovation.

It turns out barnacles and animal and human body tissues are exposed to similar wet and unclean environments. Barnacles are exposed to water and dirt while animal and human body tissues are also wet and “dirty” due to their interaction with blood, which, by its nature is a contaminated fluid. The way barnacles manage to adhere to surfaces piqued the interest of Hyunwoo Yuk and his team of researchers.

I am always motivated when I learn about an important problem that has not been well solved and falls near the area of my expertise – even more so if it resonates...