“You hear all the time about awesome science that’s being done, work that seems so pivotal, but then we as consumers don’t see the end product of it when we’re walking down the aisles,” says Whitney Blocher McTigue, an assistant professor in the department of chemical and biomolecular engineering.
It’s a long road from fundamental science to the hands of consumers–or in this case, health practitioners–but Blocher McTigue steers all her research in that direction. She’s currently got several projects underway, including working toward shelf-stable injections, a degradable bandage that could be particularly effective for burn patients, and a spray-on bandage that would immediately conform to the shape of the wound, while also delivering medicine and degrading in time for treatment.
“Even if these ideas don’t work, they’re adding to the knowledge around these concepts,” she says. “And when they do become commercialized, I’ll know that my work has helped with that. For me, that’s the best feeling you can get.”