Kosher Science: Using Cow Protein To Heal Special Wounds

Often seen as an edible source of protein (at least in the form of steaks, hamburgers and Hebrew hotdogs), cows are usually the focus of local butchers, ranchers and grocery stores.

Although these tasty beasts may hold little value to society outside one's stomach, it looks as if some Israeli researches have found a way to use this animals blood protein to help us heal faster.

(Israel 21^st Century) Researchers from the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, have "spun" together something brand new. They've created a kind of fiber, which can be applied like a dressing, to help a body stitch together wounds.

Based on a protein found in cow's blood, it can be used like a second skin to heal the type of external wounds created after a C-section, and also internally on abdominal wounds and those created during heart operations, says its inventor Prof. Eyal Zussmann, from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Technion. [...]

Zussmann's solution is closely related to the human protein, human serum albumin, an abundant protein in the body. The new material is such a close match that the human body cannot tell the difference between its own and the cow protein, he explains. This means that wounds will heal better, with less inflammation.

The new serum (called bovine serum albumin according to the article) was created by researchers from the Technion Israel Institute of Technology with the help of nanotechnology.

While wounds healing faster may not mean much for a lot of people, this technology could potentially help patients recover much more quickly--which in the end translates into more patients leaving the hospital earlier (not to mention having a less expensive bill).

Note: There is no word on when this will reach Europe or the US, although if anyone has any extra info, feel free to share with all of us in the comment section.

Image Credit: Getty Images, via Telegraph.co.uk

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