“GUM GUM BAZOOKA!” (Eiichiro, 1999) the protagonist of hit anime One Piece, Monkey D. Luffy, howls to deliver the finishing blow on his enemy.
As watchers of the acclaimed series know, Luffy’s power is that of the gum-gum fruit, which makes his body act as rubber. This seems like something only to happen in an anime, and while it is likely best that rubber bones stay relegated to that fictional, animated world, recent nanostructures and materials research could provide humans with a multipurpose, synthetic, rubbery substance that works in accordance with the human body. At Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, researchers in the chemistry, chemical engineering, and applied physics departments have discovered a rubbery substance that has the potential to replace human tissue (Rajasekhara et al., 2019).
In order to create an synthetic elastomer (material of a solid state but with relatively high amounts of elasticity) that could agree with the human body, scientists rethought the process of making elastomers. Previously, researchers made elastomers by randomly linking polymers - materials created by the linking of macromolecules - together. To create elastomers that are compatible with the human body, they sought a more organized approach. This new elastomer would be used as synthetic tissue, so its creators used a technique called ordered structuring to connect polymers with collagen and elastin, two fibrous proteins prominent in human skin (Rajasekhara et al., 2019).
With the help of state-of-the-art nanostructuring technologies, ordered structuring now makes the creation of elastomeric substances possible. This allows the surface to be lined by a material (namely what would be in contact with organs) with antibacterial peptides, making the elastomer resistant to bacteria so that it will not be damaged by the natural bacteria present in humans. One of the current applications for this elastomer involves catheter tubes. The material is able to carry medicine or blood while remaining decontaminated and also not killing the bacteria. This is helpful because there is an increasing trend of bacteria becoming antibiotic resistant , so it is becoming harder to eliminate them (“Nanostructured rubber-like material…”, 2020). This synthetic elastomer tube does not result in bacteria death, rather bacteria removal.
Beyond bacterial resistance, the elastomer has a variety of unique properties. Its soft and elastic nature means that it can be injected into the body by a cannula or 3D printed into a specific shape, and its nanopores can be filled with medicine to allow the synthetic tissue to cater to patients’ specific needs (“Nanostructured rubber-like material…”, 2020).
In theory, these biological elastomeric tissues could be used to create a being with rubbery bones. But, let's leave the gum-gum fruit abilities to Luffy and appreciate the material for its potential to revolutionize medicine.
References:
Eiichiro, O. (Oda), & Konosuke, U. (Uda). One Piece. Toei Animation.
Nanostructured rubber-like material with optimal properties could replace human tissue. (n.d.). ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200316090334.html
Rajasekharan, A. K., Gyllensten, C., Blomstrand, E., Liebi, M., & Andersson, M. (2019). Tough Ordered Mesoporous Elastomeric Biomaterials Formed at Ambient Conditions. ACS Nano, 14(1), 241–254. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.9b01924