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Since the emergence of COVID-19 over two years ago, this disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has had a monumental impact on society, with 514 million cases and 6.24 million deaths reported globally to date. It appears likely that COVID-19 will remain present for the foreseeable future, and as the third coronavirus to emerge as a human pathogen in the last 17 years, there is a clear possibility that others will arise in the future.

Since their first known use thousands of years ago, surgical sutures—simple medical devices consisting of a needle and thread—have remained the most common method to close wounds and hold together tissue after surgery. While time has brought advancements in methods and materials, the basic nature of surgical sutures has not changed since their conception, and their use still poses significant risk of complications to patients. But what if doctors could close tissues without the use of sutures at all?

The COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated how quickly a new pathogen can fundamentally change economies and society. Early in the pandemic, public health professionals demanded quick and accurate testing to track and control the spread of COVID-19 but still struggle to do so using existing testing methods. Two years after its first recorded case, however, researchers at the University of Maryland (UMD) are developing faster, less invasive, and more reliable means of diagnosing pathogens like COVID-19.