Internal Spray Developed At Harvard Could Heal Gut Wounds

BOSTON (CBS) - Local researchers have developed a novel approach to help heal wounds "inside" the body.

If you get a cut or a scratch on your skin, you can simply cover it with a bandage to help it heal, but there is no such remedy for wounds in the gut because it's coated with a layer of mucus that prevents bandages from sticking.

Now, researchers at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University are using gut bacteria to produce a probiotic hydrogel which could be sprayed onto a wound in the intestine to form a seal - like a spray-on bandage for the gut.

This technology could one day be used to treat ulcers and wounds in people with inflammatory conditions of the GI tract, like Crohn's disease, who currently have to take anti-inflammatory medications to keep their illness at bay.