April 14, 2026
Mizzou researchers have introduced a novel bioadhesive material platform that will enable next-generation biomedical devices, patient-specific patches and wearable sensors with shape memory behavior.
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Mizzou researchers recently developed a new material that enables the creation of a soft, flexible material that adheres strongly to living tissue, making it ideal for customized biomedical devices, wearable sensors and patches to help close wounds or support healing.
The novelty of the work, described in Chemical Engineering Journal, lies in a new material synthesized by the Mizzou researchers. This material enables the creation of adhesive platform that adheres to wet tissue and solidifies quickly under UV light.
The material can be 4D printed —that is, a 3D printed material that changes shape over time when exposed to heat or other stimuli. That means it can be bent, stretched or twisted but return to its original shape when warmed, making it useful in two complementary ways.
“For wearable sensors and other on-skin applications, heating the material allows it to soften and conform very closely to the skin,” said Sonia Norouzi Esfahany, a graduate researcher pursuing her PhD in mechanical engineering who worked on the project. “As the material cools, it stiffens and maintains that intimate contact. Reheating the material again softens the material and makes it easy to remove.”
For wound-healing or tissue-closure applications, the adhesive can be programmed into a temporary shape before application.
“After it is placed on the injured tissue, body temperature triggers recovery to its original shape, allowing the material to gently contract or reposition itself while remaining adhered, which can help close or stabilize the wound,” Esfahany said.
The researchers have demonstrated tissue closure on an ex vivo pig liver. Future studies will investigate inflammatory response, tissue integration and performance in in vivo wound‑healing models.
While the concept originated in Jian Lin’s group in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, collaboration expanded to include researchers from the Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering and the School of Medicine.
“The institutional culture at Mizzou encourages materials scientists, engineers and clinicians to work together from early-stage material design through biological validation and device integration,” Esfahany said. “When it comes to development of new materials with health care applications, that ecosystem gives Mizzou the advantage.”
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