The skin of a shark might appear as smooth as rubber, but up close it’s so rough that some cultures used the skin like sandpaper. Sharklet Technologies, however, is pioneering a new use for the fearsome fish’s skin, which is constructed of sharp, interlaced ridges that together make an inhospitable environment for microbes. The company is developing medical devices such as urinary catheters that mimic the texture of shark skin to ward off common infections from staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and pseudomonas aeruginosa. The catheters could help to reduce the tide of urinary tract infections that plague around a quarter of all patients who use the devices for a week or more.
Treatments from Toxins: New Drugs May Come from Some Dangerous Places
Toxins are increasingly proving to be attractive sources of potentially life-saving drugs