Method and material for enhanced tissue-biomaterial integration

A method of joining a first tissue surface with a second tissue surface, the method comprising:

• priming the first and second tissue surfaces by reacting the surfaces with a solution containing hydrogen peroxide under ultraviolet irradiation to create a primed first and second tissue surfaces;
• removing the unreacted hydrogen peroxide from the first and second primed tissue surfaces;
• adding to the primed first and second tissue surfaces a solution of a polymerizable agent wherein the solution containing the polymerizable agent does not contain a photoinitiator other than the primed first and second tissue surfaces;
• and
• exposing the primed first and second tissue surfaces and the polymerizable agent in the absence of photoinitiators to a source of ultraviolet radiation to create a hydrogel directly covalently bound to and bridging the first and second tissue surfaces.