Mayo clinic researchers are studying ways to engineer human-like tissue to bolster the body's ability to heal itself. Scientists at the Regenerative Medicine Biomaterials and Biomolecules Lab have engineered biomaterials that could regenerate tissue capable of restoring nerves and bones.
They've discovered that biomaterials derived from polymers are biodegradable. When used along with growth factors to form scaffolds, these materials are capable of recruiting cells that grow into replacement nerves and bones.
Scaffolds are devices that assist in creating tissue. As the new tissue develops, synthetic materials gradually decompose, leaving no trace of its existence in the body.
"The hypothesis is that these biomaterials will function as scaffolding material for the cells to attach to once they are in the human body, so they can support tissue regeneration. They will degrade in a controlled fashion and will disappear at the end of the process and leave completely natural living tissue in place," said Lichun Lu, a professor of biomedical engineering and orthopedics at the lab.
Lu leads a team of researchers that are developing biomaterials compatible with the human body. Those materials can be manipulated to perform different functions. Some examples are a synthetic nerve scaffold which can conduct electrical signals from the brain and a man made bone scaffold porous enough to integrate new blood vessels.
"We have been developing more sophisticated, multifunctional biomaterials that can interact with the cells for tissue generation. These materials offer functions that are similar to the body's natural environment. They support cell attachment, proliferation and tissue growth," said Lu.
Another objective of this research is to improve drug delivery in the body - a key role that tissue plays in good health.
Mayo Clinic News Network (TNS)
