Mussel Glue is Way Cool

Marine mussels secrete amazing glues that allow them to stick to rocks and other surfaces while powerful ocean waves crash over them. These underwater glues can be coated onto the inside of human blood vessels; the glue is so sticky, they stay stuck even while blood is flowing! Materials based on the chemistry of mussel glues are being developed to treat blood vessel diseases.

Join Christian Kastrup, an Assistant Professor in the Michael Smith Laboratories and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, in exploring an example of how the materials engineered in nature can be applied toward human medicine.