Aston University scientists developing wound dressings from waste tea leaves
Mussel-inspired breakthrough could lead to greener and more effective treatment for millions of patients
Scientists at Aston University are developing a new type of wound dressing made from waste tea leaves — inspired by the way mussels cling to rocks underwater.
The project, named TEAGEL, has secured almost £500,000 in funding from UK Research and Innovation and hopes to create a more sustainable alternative to traditional medical adhesives.
Researchers say current plasters and wound dressings often struggle to stick to wet or bleeding skin, can irritate patients and are commonly made from fossil fuel-based synthetic chemicals.
Dr Yujie Mao, a lecturer in chemical engineering at Aston University leading the project, said nature had already created the “smartest solutions” to the problem.
“One of the biggest motivations behind this project is the growing challenge and demand of wound care,” she told Greatest Hits Radio.
“Every year, the NHS treats four million patients with wounds, which is about seven per cent of the adult population in the UK.
“Many current medical adhesives are still made from fossil fuel-based synthetic chemicals, often do not work well on wet or bleeding skin and may cause irritation for patients.”
Instead, researchers are turning to spent tea leaves — a waste product produced in huge quantities across the UK.
“The UK is one of the world’s largest tea consumers and most spent tea leaves are simply discarded,” Dr Mao said.
“We’re very excited to work with our Solihull-based industry partner to explore how we can turn spent tea leaves into high-value biomedical materials.”
The science behind the project was inspired by mussels, which are able to stick firmly to wet rocks even during storms.
“Mussels are incredible natural engineers,” Dr Mao explained.
“Scientists have studied mussels for many years because they can stick firmly to wet, uneven rocks, even during extreme weather.”
Researchers are now trying to mimic that same adhesive ability using natural compounds extracted from tea leaves.
“Tea leaves are naturally rich in plant compounds called polyphenols,” she said.
“They also naturally contain antioxidant, antimicrobial and UV protective properties, which are all highly relevant for wound care applications.”
The team will use those compounds to create a gel-like material capable of sticking to difficult surfaces while remaining biodegradable and more environmentally friendly.
“We’re learning from nature twice,” Dr Mao said.
“From mussels for adhesion and from plants for material assembly.”
The research involves scientists from multiple disciplines across Aston University, as well as collaborators in Sweden and Finland.
Dr Mao said the scale of collaboration had been one of the most exciting parts of the project.
“Research nowadays really needs collaboration from multiple disciplines,” she said.
“The most important thing to me is this highly collaborative team with a shared ambition and complementary expertise.”
Over the next two years, researchers will work on extracting the compounds from tea leaves, developing the gel and testing it on human cells.
Dr Mao hopes the project could eventually lead to gentler wound care products that are both better for patients and better for the environment.
“The goal is to develop biodegradable adhesives that can stick effectively to wet or bleeding skin while remaining comfortable to remove,” she said.
“At the same time, I also hope to reduce plastic use in healthcare materials.”
Although the technology is still in the laboratory stage, Dr Mao said the research could lay the foundation for future medical breakthroughs.
“What we are focused on in this research is understanding the scientific foundation to begin with,” she said.
“And we do hope by the end of the project we will be able to accelerate the impact of this material into real-life use.”
The funding forms part of a wider UK government-backed programme supporting “nature-based engineering” — research inspired by natural systems and materials.
Dr Mao described the grant as “very special” and said she hoped the work would help position the UK as a global leader in bio-inspired engineering research.