A team of engineers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT,Cambridge, MA, USA; www.web.mit.edu) who set out to improve upon the existing tissue-derived suture have developed “smart” sutures which not only secure tissue,but also sense inflammation and deliver drugs.

These new sutures,based on animal tissue,are similar to the catgut sutures.However,in a modern adaptation,the engineers have coated these sutures with hydrogels capable of being embedded with sensors,medication,or cells that release therapeutic molecules.Researchers anticipate that these sutures can assist patients with Crohn’s disease in their recovery after intestinal surgery.

Furthermore,the researchers suggest these sutures could also be modified for healing wounds or surgical cuts elsewhere in the body.