Researchers have developed a “molecular surgery” process that uses tiny needles, electric current and 3D-printed molds to quickly reshape living tissue with no incisions, scarring or recovery time.
The technique even shows promise as a way to fix immobile joints or as a noninvasive alternative to laser eye surgery.
“We envision this new technique as a low-cost office procedure done under local anesthesia,” says Michael Hill, Ph.D.”The whole process would take about five minutes.”
Such a method would be useful for cosmetic surgery procedures, such as making a nose more attractive. But the method also could help fix problems, such as a deviated septum, or conditions for which no good treatments exist, such as joint contractures caused by stroke or cerebral palsy.
Hill’s group discovered that passing current through cartilage electrolyzes water in the tissue, converting the water into oxygen and hydrogen ions, or protons.
The positive charge of the protons cancels out the negative charge on the proteins, reducing charge density and making the cartilage more malleable. “Once the tissue is floppy,” he says, “you can mold it to whatever shape you want.”
To achieve this outcome with traditional methods, a surgeon would have to cut through the skin and cartilage and then stick the pieces back together. That can lead to formation of scar tissue at the joint.
That scar tissue must sometimes be removed in subsequent operations, Hill says. By avoiding this mechanical damage to the cartilage, the molecular surgery technique causes no scarring and no pain.