Why in News?

• A team of researchers at IIT Madras has developed a prototype of suture thread made of nanofiber yarns that is bio-absorbable and can deliver a higher load of antibiotics and/or therapeutics at the site itself.

About the new sutures

• Each strand has a good tensile strength, besides degrading rapidly and mimics the collagen fibrils of body tissues.
• The suture material uses nanofibers woven as yarn using certain specific techniques, and the strength can be varied depending on the target tissue (skin, muscle, cartilage).
• Nanofiber yarns are thread-like structures formed by twisting together hundreds of nanofibers.
• Several innovations globally in suture material have advanced infection control and achieved in some cases, better recovery among patients, even as other options such as staples, glues and strips have become available.

Reference:

1. https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/iit-m-team-develops-sutures-with-nanofiber-yarns/article32746959.ece