Recently a team led by MIT Professor Robert Langer and Jeff Karp, created an adhesive tape that could become an important tool for surgeons in the near future.  The tape could serve as a replacement for staples or sutures in surgical processes as it is both biodegradable and can stick in wet environments without to much trouble.  Problems previous tapes had involved their ability to to expand and contract with the muscles or organs they were applied or their inability to stick in wet environments.  Another important aspect of this tape is that it does not produce dangerous toxins as it slowly dissolves while the wound or incisions heal.  The tape could be used to patch holes, or even wrap around intestines in gastric bypass procedures.

Now where do the geckos come in? Well the tape uses Gecko skin to…JK. Actually the team followed the princile behind those of the Gecko’s paws. The surface of the tape has microscale bumps that give the tape a few advantages, and over this is a layer of glue that allows it to stick in wet environments. The product has been tried on pig intestines and proved to work very efficiently. This product could be a great tool in the future for surgeons as it will allow them to insert this tape on small incisions where suture could be extremely difficult.