A novel biocompatible polymer using glycerol and sebacic acid has been developed by a team of researchers under the leadership of Prof. Robert Langer of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at Massachussetts Institute of Technology(MIT), USA.

Called 'Biorubber', the polymer is made of glycerol, which the body uses to create a category of fats (lipids) and sebacic acid that helps to metabolize some fatty acids. The molecular structure can be tailored to make it elastic by adjusting the chemical ratios of glycerol and sebacic acid. The degradability and interaction with the cell also can be tailored. Biorubber in pure form would be similar to ligaments and veins.

Biorubber shows promising results in animal testing and effectively crosslinks with various proteins. The final product appears to be a polymer and biomaterial merged together.

Biorubber has several possible applications. It could act as a scaffolding to help in the design of heart tissue, blood vessels, cartilage, bone and many other structures of the human body, including whole organs needed for transplantation.

Biorubber will have to undergo the rigorous approval process of US Food and Drug Administration before it can be used in human beings.