A team of researchers at Tsinghua University in Beijing announced on Monday that they successfully bridged the gap between two ends of a severed nerve.
The team of biomedical engineers used an alloy to connect cut sciatic nerves in frogs, according to Gizmodo. This process allowed authorities to make electronic circuits out of nerves.
When a nerve is severed, the muscles at the farther end of the nerve are cut off from the brain and immobilized, which leads to the possibility of atrophy, CNET reported.
Neural signals still need to be sent over the gap in the severed nerve to keep the muscles functioning and in good shape while the nerves heal. The process prevents the muscles from wasting away, and can be very slow and difficult.
The researchers identified liquid metal as a highly conductive, but also safe, material to bridge the gap. They decided to use the liquid metal alloy gallium-indium-selenium, a material that is liquid at body temperature and also highly conductive, Gizmodo reported.
The team tested the alloy by applying an electric pulse to nerves in a frog's leg to make the calf muscle contract. The sciatic nerve was then severed, and two ends were connected with either the liquid alloy or Ringer's solution, a mixture of electrolytes that imitates body fluids. While the Ringer's solution carried the charge a limited distance, the alloy was able to transmit the electrical signals almost as well as the nerve before it was severed. The data shows that the alloy could be used to protect nerves and muscles after an injury, and it can be removed with an x-ray since it is made of metal.
The summary of the research sites some of the benefits of the liquid metal alloy, which include "favorable fluidity, super compliance, and high electrical conductivity," CNET reported.
While more testing is needed for the use of liquid metal for healing, this research serves as the early stages for the use of liquid metal to fix nerves.
