Thousands of molecules join to form these long chains called macromolecules or polymers. Lots of things you use are polymers. Synthetic materials like plastics and nylon are polymers. Natural materials like rubber, wood, proteins, and DNA are also polymers.

Dr. Uhrich wasn't trying to make a better pain reliever. She was actually trying to make a better medicine for treating brain cancer. But as the old saying goes, "chance favors the prepared mind." Noticing that her polymer could be broken down in the body to produce salicylic acid once again, she began to investigate its use in treating pain and inflammation.

PolyAspirin^®, as Dr. Uhrich's new polymer is called, can pass through the stomach, the small intestines, and into the bloodstream before it breaks down to form salicylic acid molecules once again. Since this polymer doesn't turn into salicylic acid again until long after it has passed out of the stomach, the salicylic acid can't cause stomach upset.

But this painkilling polymer has more important advantages than its mildness in the stomach. Since the polymer breaks down slowly, it can be used as a controlled-release pain reliever. Instead of having to take dose after dose of the medicine, just one dose will slowly release salicylic acid into the body over a long period of time. In addition, this polymer has a similar molecular structure to the polyesters used to make clothing. So PolyAspirin^® can be made into thread, and this thread can be used for sewing up surgical incisions or other soft tissue damage. This way, the suture itself can fight pain and inflammation.

This new pain reliever has even more potential uses. Since it is a polymer, it can behave like a plastic. A coating of this "plastic" could possibly be applied to an injured bone or joint. Over time, the coating would release pain reliever directly into the injury, easing its pain. What's more, polymers similar to this one have been shown to promote bone growth. This polymer possibly could be used not only to ease the pain of a broken bone, but also to make the bone heal faster as well.

Science involves the asking of questions, and the analysis of the answers that one gets from careful experimentation. Sometimes the answers are not those one expects, as was the case with PolyAspirin^®. No one was looking for a polymer that relieved pain, or promoted bone growth, but when observations showed the polymer could release salicylic acid, insightful scientists like Dr. Uhrich were capable of using the unexpected results to create a useful product. Seeing the big picture, and seeing just how puzzle pieces found in unlikely places can fit together, is one of the important abilities of a good scientist. When scientists use their creativity and insight to seize the unexpected opportunities that present themselves, there's no limit to the amazing things that can result.

Next: Timeline of Discovery

Kathryn Uhrich — read more about Dr. Uhrich's work from her own faculty home page at Rutgers University.