A team of researchers from POSTECH, led by Professor Hyung Joon Cha of the Department of Chemical Engineering and the Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, has developed a pioneering injectable hydrogel aimed at promoting bone regeneration.
This cutting-edge hydrogel utilizes safe visible light to facilitate both cross-linking and mineralization in a single step, eliminating the reliance on conventional bone grafts.
The groundbreaking results of this study have been published in the journal Biomaterials.
Addressing Challenges in Bone Regeneration
As our population ages, the incidence of bone defects due to injuries, infections, and congenital conditions is increasing.
Traditional treatments often involve bone grafts, combined with serum or bioadhesives, but current injectable hydrogels face challenges such as poor shape retention and inadequate adhesive strength.
Moreover, established procedures frequently lack the ability to support simultaneous bone healing and adhesion.
Innovative Hydrogel Composition
The innovative hydrogel developed by the POSTECH team addresses these shortcomings by harnessing visible light, which safely promotes cross-linking and enhances mineralization.
Previous attempts struggled with separate preparations for bone grafts and adhesives and faced issues with hydrogels that degraded too quickly, compromising their effectiveness.
This new hydrogel precursor features a coacervate-based composition, which includes alginate, a mussel adhesive protein fortified with RGD peptides, calcium ions, phosphonodiols, and a photoinitiator.
It is made to retain its shape post-injection.
When exposed to visible light, the hydrogel undergoes cross-linking and simultaneously produces amorphous calcium phosphate, a material that serves as a robust bone graft.
This integrated functionality allows for both bone regeneration and adhesion without needing to use distinct grafts.
Promising Preclinical Results
In preclinical trials with animal models suffering from femoral bone defects, the hydrogel proved easy to inject and maintained effective adherence, while also releasing crucial components necessary for regeneration.
Professor Cha noted that this injectable hydrogel represents a major leap forward in treating bone diseases.
It simplifies the complex landscape of traditional therapies for bone tissue regeneration.
This research received funding from initiatives by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, specifically through programs like the Dental Medical Technology Research and Development Project and the Integrated End-to-End Medical Device R&D Project.
Source: Science Daily