Overview of algae seeded sutures wherein the microalgae was cultured over 14 days (A) and the oxygen production was observed to produce gas bubble (B). Quantification shows the variation in chlorophyll content (C) and oxygen production (D) overtime. A hypoxic marker HIF was used to assess how effectively the algae reduced the hypoxic conditions of an environment whilst compared to a control.
Overview of algae seeded sutures wherein the microalgae was cultured over 14 days (A) and the oxygen production was observed to produce gas bubble (B). Quantification shows the variation in chlorophyll content (C) and oxygen production (D) overtime. A hypoxic marker HIF was used to assess how effectively the algae reduced the hypoxic conditions of an environment whilst compared to a control.

The suturing of wounds is the most common technique with regards to wound closure, and over time the materials used in sutures have evolved to better suit the role. Yet scar tissue formation remains an issue during the healing process reducing the functionality of the effected tissue.

The oxygen and growth factor supply to a wound is reduced by damage done to the vasculature of the tissue. A suture capable of eluting growth factors and providing oxygen may prove beneficial to enhancing wound closure rate.

In a recently published article in Acta Biomaterialia, Centeno-Cerdas and colleagues featured the development of a photosynthetic suture by implanting genetically modified microalgae (C. reinhardtii) into surgical sutures. The algae were genetically modified to express various growth factors involved in the wound healing process. In seeding the microalgae in the sutures microcolonies of the cells were cultivated on and inside the structure of the fibre. Over a period of two weeks the colonies grew turning the sutures green and resulted in the production of oxygen [Centeno-Cerdas et al., Acta Biomaterialia (2018), doi: 10.1016/j.actbio.2018.09.060]

The sutures, which also boasted viability after undergoing cryopreservation, also demonstrated that genetic modification on the algae resulted in a sustained release of growth factor for 14 days. Although promising, the authors recognise the robustness of further research needed to advance the technology to applied wound-care. While still in early stages, it is pioneering research in oxygen releasing biomaterials and demonstrates how the marriage of biochemistry and materials science can design solutions to complex problems.