Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Harvard Develops Drug-Filled, Injectable Sponge That Expands Inside the Body

Posted by timothy on from the uncredited-author-j-ignatowski dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Harvard bioengineers have perfected injecting us with a drug-filled sponge instead of just a liquid. It may seem strange to want to inject a piece of sponge into your body, but it does actually help solve a number of invasive problems. For example, sometimes it is necessary to have drugs released slowly into our bodies, and/or some kind of bio-scaffold is required to be positioned so that it can help support a damaged organ or to engineer new tissue. This new, injectable sponge is incredibly useful because not only can it be filled with drugs that then are slowly released, it also has a memory and can be collapsed down to a tiny fraction of its original size."

7 of 24 comments (clear)

  1. I guess doctors will have to decide... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    if the patient is "sponge-worthy"

  2. Saggy Bums? by the+monolith · · Score: 2

    So, in a few years time when my body slumps a little more and my ass is hanging down, I can get a 'Sponge Bob' job down the back and another complementary do-hickey up front? This is strangely appealing on several levels. I can see the cost benefit analysis, and why wait for the future; do they need human test subjects?

  3. Something about this sounds odd... by dav1dc · · Score: 2

    Aren't expanding bits inside the body getting stuck in the wrong places how heart attacks and strokes happen ?? ...

    1. Re:Something about this sounds odd... by DaemonDan · · Score: 2

      If they inject this into the blood stream, definitely. But they're probably putting it into connective tissue, so that the drug can diffuse into the blood while the sponge stays and degrades.

      --
      Enjoy post-apocalyptic and singularity science fiction? Check out www.demonarchives.com, a new online graphic-novel.
    2. Re:Something about this sounds odd... by Opyros · · Score: 2
      The original press release (linked in TFA) says the following:

      "The simplest application is when you want bulking," Mooney explains. "If you want to introduce some material into the body to replace tissue that's been lost or that is deficient, this would be ideal. In other situations, you could use it to transplant stem cells if you're trying to promote tissue regeneration, or you might want to transplant immune cells, if you're looking at immunotherapy."
      Consisting primarily of alginate, a seaweed-based jelly, the injectable sponge contains networks of large pores, which allow liquids and large molecules to easily flow through it. Mooney and his research team demonstrated that live cells can be attached to the walls of this network and delivered intact along with the sponge, through a small-bore needle. Mooney's team also demonstrated that the sponge can hold large and small proteins and drugs within the alginate jelly itself, which are gradually released as the biocompatible matrix starts to break down inside the body.

  4. Commercial Ring Tone by Thakandar2 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Who lives in a cavity under the skin?
    MED-ICAL SPON-GES!
    Giving antibiotics in the cavity it's in?
    MED-ICAL SPON-GES!
    Is accelerated healing something you wish?
    MED-ICAL SPON-GES!
    Then wait for the studies to all get published!
    MED-ICAL SPON-GES!
    MED-ICAL SPON-GES!
    MED-ICAAAAALLLL! SPOOON-GEEEEESSSS!

  5. The redundant department of redundency called. by BenFenner · · Score: 2

    This new, injectable sponge is incredibly useful because not only can it be filled with drugs that then are slowly released, it also has a memory and can be collapsed down to a tiny fraction of its original size.

    Makes me wonder what other kind of sponges are out there that can't hold liquid, can't collapse, and don't remember their shape. O_o