#biocompatible

Conductive hydrogel mimics brain softness for flexible bioelectronic devices

Bioelectronics, such as implantable health monitors or devices that stimulate brain cells, are not as soft as the surrounding tissues due to their metal electronic circuits. A team of scientists from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, led by associate professor Ranjita Bose, have now developed a soft polymer hydrogel that can conduct electricity as well as metal can. As the material is both flexible and soft, it is more compatible with sensitive tissues. This finding has the potential for a large number of applications, for example, in biocompatible sensors and in wound healing. The scientists coated a porous hydrogel with the conductive polymer polypyrrole, using oxidative chemical vapor deposition. They applied an ultrathin layer to ensure that the gel would remain soft and stretchable. Tests showed that the coated gel was compatible with neural cells, making it a promising platform for soft, implantable, and biocompatible bioelectronics.

Credit: KTH Royal Institute of Technology By Idha Valeur 

A new biocompatible material developed in Sweden, will possibly end your worries about having to touch up your dental repairs. The new material will offer improvements over acrylate-based fillings already on the market.

In contrast to the currently used thiol-ene coupling (TEC) systems, the new material is made out of light-initiated thiol-yne coupling (TYC) chemistry to polymerize triazine-trione (TATO) monomers, which generates higher crosslinking density. This means a more rigid and mechanically stronger material.

Michael Malkoch, professor in the Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden, said that the new material can bond 160% better to tooth surfaces compared to available polymers. This could keep patients away from returning to the dentist chair with detachment of dental fillers problems.

‘It provides higher strength, straightforward moldability and non-toxicity. We believe this foretells a new era in hard tissue repair," Malkoch says.

The researchers see the work as a guide for development of future materials for implants. "The reason why this works is that we have elevated the number of chemical crosslinks in the materials to such level that the properties we receive are extraordinary,’ Malkoch said.

Graphene 'scaffold' recruits bone cells and helps the body regenerate fractures

Experiments conducted in Brazil using laboratory rats have shown that graphene-based structures can act as a powerful ally in bone regeneration. These structures are made of sheets of the chemical element carbon that are just one atom thick. They can help heal fractures or bone loss. In the tests, the biocompatible matrix containing graphene facilitated nearly 90% repair of the damage sustained by the test subjects one month after the fracture was induced in the laboratory—a superior performance to that of other materials used in the research. The analysis of the performance of the biomaterial was published in the journal Scientific Reports. Daniela Franco Bueno of the Albert Einstein Israeli Faculty of Health Sciences and Guilherme Lenz e Silva of the Engineering School of the University of São Paulo (POLI-USP) coordinated the study.

Dissolvable hydrogel could enable personalized bone implants

Bones broken in a skiing accident usually heal on their own. But if the break is too severe or a bone tumor needs to be removed, surgeons insert an implant that enables the bone to grow back together. Implants often consist of pieces of the patient's own bone, known as autografts, or metal or ceramic parts. A key drawback of many of today's implants is that they require a second surgery to harvest the tissue for the autografts. Additionally, metal implants tend to be too rigid and may loosen over time, compromising stability. What's even more significant is that bone is an incredibly complex organ with numerous tunnels and cavities. "For proper healing, it is vital that biology is incorporated into the repair process," says Xiao-Hua Qin, Professor of Biomaterials Engineering at ETH Zurich. A successful repair of this nature depends on various cell types that must first colonize the implant before forming new bone tissue.

Engineered nanoparticles show enhanced intrinsic luminescence for biomedical imaging and cancer treatment

The Nanomedicine and Nanotoxicology Group (GNano) at the University of São Paulo's São Carlos Institute of Physics (IFSC-USP) in Brazil has discovered a way to transform hydroxyapatite, a bioceramic material, into a nanoparticle with enhanced intrinsic luminescence. This paves the way for the use of biocompatible, low-cost nanomaterials in biomedical imaging techniques. "We've demonstrated that the incorporation of carbonate groups into the hydroxyapatite structure increases the concentration of crystal defects, which are responsible for enhancing the intrinsic luminescence of the material. After functionalization with citrate, which improves colloidal stability in aqueous media, these calcium phosphate nanoparticles can be used as luminescent agents for cellular bioimaging," Thales Rafael Machado, first author of both studies, explained to Agência FAPESP.

MXene-based e-tattoos harvest energy and monitor health in real time

Researchers at Boise State University have developed a breakthrough in wearable electronics: a multifunctional electronic tattoo (e‑tattoo) that integrates energy harvesting, energy storage, and real‑time biometric sensing into a single, skin‑conformal platform. The innovation leverages electrospun poly(vinyl butyral‑co‑vinyl alcohol‑co‑vinyl acetate) (PVBVA) fibers coated with titanium carbide (Ti₃C₂Tₓ) MXenes, offering a scalable, biocompatible, and durable alternative to conventional wearable devices that often rely on rigid substrates or external gels. The work is published in the journal Advanced Science.

From artificial organs to advanced batteries: A breakthrough 3D-printable polymer

A new type of 3D-printable material that gets along with the body's immune system, pioneered by a University of Virginia research team, could lead to safer medical technology for organ transplants and drug delivery systems. It could also improve battery technologies. The breakthrough is the subject of a new article published in the journal Advanced Materials, based on work done by the University of Virginia's Soft Biomatter Laboratory, led by Liheng Cai, an associate professor of materials science and engineering and chemical engineering. The paper's first author is Baiqiang Huang, a Ph.D. student in the School of Engineering and Applied Science. Their research shows a way to change the properties of polyethylene glycol to make stretchable networks. PEG, as it's known, is a material already used in many biomedical technologies such as tissue engineering, but the way PEG networks are currently produced—created in water by crosslinking linear PEG polymers, with the water removed afterward—leaves a brittle, crystallized structure that can't stretch without losing its integrity.

A modified glue gun squirts a material to help heal broken bones

The handheld device applied antibiotic grafts onto fractured bones in rabbits

A repurposed glue gun has helped repair broken bones in rabbits. Instead of a regular glue stick, it melts a material that helps bones heal. Some breaks in bones need a little help to mend. So surgeons sometimes take a bit of bone from elsewhere in the body to make a patch called a graft. Or they can use a synthetic — human-made — material that mimics bone. Synthetic grafts are often 3-D printed. Usually, X-ray scans and measurements of injuries are needed to make sure the graft will fit just right. Designing and making the graft takes time and can delay repairs. But the glue gun method doesn’t require images of the fracture. And it doesn’t need any special graft design. The handheld device can simply squirt the graft material right onto a break.