2025-01-22
33 分钟This is the Guardian.
The Guardian Archive.
Long read.
Hi, my name is Laura Parker.
I'm a writer and editor based in San Francisco and I'm the author of Inspired by Nature, the Thrilling New Science that Could Transform Medicine.
So what caught my attention about the story?
I was a science and tech journalist at the time and I had signed up for press releases and newsletters from all the major universities science departments, just so I could get story ideas.
And there was one from Harvard that mentioned Jeff Karp's lab.
So Jeff is the director of the Laboratory for Accelerated Medical Innovation and this concept of bioengineering combining the principles of biology and engineering to make everyday tangible products.
The newsletter mentioned Jeff was making a surgical staple inspired by the needles of a porcupine that could effectively dissolve under the skin.
So making sure patients didn't need to come back after surgery to have their stitches removed.
And I was just immediately captivated by this.
I thought it would make a great story.
So I reached out to Jeff and the story went from there.
So since the article was written, a few things have changed.
Jeff has kind of grown to be a superstar star in the field of bioengineering and bio inspiration.
Aside from the surgical staples, his lab has gone on to make things like skin graft adhesives based on parasitic worms and cancer detectors that work like jellyfish tentacles.
He's also founded two companies, Gecko Biomedical, a company that specializes in medical adhesives, and another company that focuses on skin care.
The role of these companies is to actually help get these products into the market.
Most recently, he's written a book called Lit Life Ignition Tools about how to navigate challenges and problem solve better.