New Band-Aid brands so germs don’t stick on you

Who knew that bandages needed remodeling? Biotechnology labs around the world have been hard at work developing the next generation of bandages normal cuts and scrapes. HemCon Medical Technologies is company based in Portland, Oregon dedicated solely to the civilian and Armed Forces markets. HemCon manufactures bandages and wound dressings that localize clotting. Clotting is localized with chitosan, a biopolymer made from a component in the exoskeletons of crab, shrimp and other crustaceans. The chitosan attracts the outer membranes of red blood cells, which localizes the clotting. There’s also the gecko bandage, a bandage out of MIT that’s inspired by the hairs on a gecko’s feet that give it its adhesive abilities. The gecko bandage can stick to wet surfaces, so its used to bandage internal organs and other injuries. It’s also biodegradable, so no worries of the heart mummifying accidentally.