Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH — A scientific team from King Abdulaziz University has succeeded in registering a global patent from the US Patent Office, following the creation of an artificial surgical mesh with innovative anti-bacterial properties, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said on Tuesday.

The invent lays ground for application in surgeries related to hernia (rupture) as surgical areas are contaminated with bacteria in the body tissues. The bacteria hinders the use of artificial mesh in these cases and surgeons are forced to treat the hernia without using a mesh or to use a biological one that is less effective than the artificial mesh.

The innovative mesh secretes an antibiotic in the surrounding tissues for at least 14 days, which helps in getting rid of the bacteria.

Using the Nano technology to engineer the material of the artificial surgical network and through incorporating anti-biotic, in the composition of the network and then undergoing a process of testing on guinea-pigs, have proved effective.

The team that worked for four years at King Abdul Aziz University to reach this achievement included the team leader, Dr. Abdul Malik Al-Taf, Dr. Siham Abdel Hadi, Dr. Faisal Abdel Hadi and Dr. Mahmoud Abdel Majid.