How A Gecko’s Ability To Cling To Surfaces Could Help CU Scientists Make Stickier – And Better

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How a gecko’s ability to cling to surfaces could help CU scientists make stickier – and better – cancer treatments

7d ago 9:14

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An innovative cancer therapy inspired by the gripping power of geckos might be on the horizon.

Scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder studied the microscopic structures on gecko toes that allow the tiny reptiles to climb walls and cling to slippery surfaces like windows.

That work inspired the development of a new material that could help chemotherapy drugs cling onto tumors, enabling less frequent and more effective treatment – potentially with less discomfort and fewer side effects for patients. The technology is described in the journal Advanced Materials.

The research began with a focus on bladder cancer, which affects about 85,000 people in the U.S. each year. It’s been in the headlines recently after CU football coach Deion Sanders announced that he’d been treated for it.

Wyatt Shields is assistant professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at CU Boulder, and part of the team that developed the gecko-inspired material.

Wyatt spoke with Erin O’Toole about the material, and its potential to change how we treat other diseases in the future.

Curious about other reptile research? Check out our interview with a scientist studying how python eating habits could one day lead to better treatment of heart disease in humans.

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Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad Turner
Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

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