It has been restored for the 200 years anniversary of the French revolution in 1989.The bridge was in very good shape but the bronze sculptures were attacked by the air pollution. Gelatine has been used to refresh the surface and to give a protective layer.

Gelatine as a transporter for therapeutic genes

Miniscule particles (so-called micro-particles) of gelatine are suited to the transport of therapeutic genes for the treatment of renal diseases. Thus in the next five to ten years a gene therapy could be possible for the treatment of glomerulonephritis (kidney inflammation in which it is mainly the renal corpuscles which are affected) among humans.

Researchers in the USA injected about one million gelatine particles – which are biodegradable – into the renal artery of a piglet. Initially it was intended to test the gelatine transport system. For this reason the particles were not loaded with genetic material. With a diameter of 64 micrometers the particles are relatively large. The diameter of capillaries, these are the smallest blood vessels through which the gelatine particles have to pass, amounts to not more than five to ten micrometers. A problem? Not for gelatine particles!
 
During the tests it transpired that the gelatine particles dissolved to such an extent that they were able to penetrate the vasoganglions in the kidneys with no problem whatsoever. The time required for this was around ten hours. A particularly forward-looking aspect for the researchers was the biodegradability of gelatine. In addition, the fact that the gelatine particles moved through the body very quickly, and thus did not interrupt the blood flow for any great length of time, was a further positive aspect for the scientists.

Vision: Gelatine to combat oil slicks

In the near future, gelatine could be of great help with tanker accidents when thousands of litres of oil pollute the sea. Why? The basic principle is simple: oil and water do not mix. By adding an emulsifier, such as tensides, we obtain a suspension of oil in water. As a result, little drops of oil are formed, and these then float in water. The cold, aqueous phase is transformed into the jelly phase by the addition of gelatine as an aggregate. This results in systems that are stable, capable of being cut and then stored for a longer period of time. In the event of an oil tanker accident, any oil spillage could be solidified and cut into pieces, thus averting an environmental disaster. So far, all of this has only been tested in closed systems. Forming such a reversible, solid gel would be much more difficult on the high seas. But modern research into gelatine is also working on this problem.