Made of synthetic leather hydrogel. These hydrogel patches are filled with channels that mimic blood vessels through which various fluids, including blood from humans and other species, can be injected.
To test the system, the researchers injected human blood into the hydrogel and placed six patches in a plastic box filled with mosquitoes. The box is also equipped with cameras that target every patch of synthetic leather.
The team then used a neural network to analyze the images and determine whether certain mosquitoes were feeding on the blood inside the hydrogels.
They found that 13.8% of mosquitoes in a container with open synthetic skin areas fed on blood. The researchers think they could increase their numbers by enlarging the patches, or they suggested heating the hydrogel in addition to the blood, as mosquitoes are attracted to hot surfaces.
The researchers say their discovery could allow labs to do more experiments at less cost because they wouldn’t need to recruit study participants or purchase test animals.
Source: Ferra
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