Porcupine Quills Inspire New Medical Adhesives, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Study

In a prime example of turning to nature for inspiration, engineers in search of new biomaterials hope to emulate the unique penetration and binding properties of porcupine quills to develop new types of medical adhesives, needles and other medical devices. Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Brigham and Women's Hospital in the US, write about their work in a paper published online ahead of print on 10 December in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, PNAS.