A team of researchers have been working on new glues that are inspired by mussels for fetal surgery, in which anatomical defects are repaired before birth.

In fetal surgery, the threat of rupture of the protective membrane of the amniotic sac in which the fetus floats has been a constant risk to the inutero surgical patient.

The fetal membranes are vulnerable at the spots where they are punctured during surgery. Once ruptured, the result may be leakage of amniotic fluid, with a risk of premature labor and delivery of a tiny, vulnerable, pre-term infant.

"It's an extremely delicate tissue," said Phillip Messersmith of University of California, Berkeley.

"When you cut a hole in it, it does not heal as your skin would heal. And suturing is a poor option. There is a growing awareness that novel materials are needed to seal the fetal membranes after surgical intervention."

That is where the common mussel, Mytilus edulis, muscles its way into consideration by researchers seeking better glues for medical procedures inside the body.

Developing glues that work where it is wet has proved difficult. The inside of the human body, and the amniotic sac in which the fetus develops, are watery environments, not so different from the ocean, where the mussel routinely and successfully glues itself in place.

The key to the mussel's success is its foot, and the "byssal" gland within it. From this gland the mussel secretes a recipe of proteins.

Once secreted into the water, the proteins form tethers and a sticky glue that quickly sets, anchoring mussel to rock through these threads.