The paste was inspired by barnacles, which use their cement glands to adhere to rocks, ships and larger animals and remain stubbornly in place despite being affixed to often contaminated, wet conditions and variable surfaces. They are able to do this due to the production of a type of oil matrix which cleans the surface and repels moisture, which is followed by production of a protein which cross-links them with the molecules of the surface.
This two-step process was replicated in the quick-acting medical glue, which functions well in challenging sites covered with blood or other bodily fluids.
Surgeons historically use a type of material to speed up coagulation and form a clot to halt bleeding, which takes several minutes at best. However, this paste can halt bleeding in as little as 15 seconds, even before clotting has begun.
The paste is made of an injectable material, consisting of a water-repelling (and blood-repelling) oil matrix containing bio...