The principal author of the research, Jason Burdick, a professor of chemical and biological engineering at the BioFrontiers Institute at the University of Colorado Boulder, claims that when tissues are damaged, there is no turning back. He emphasizes that by developing more resilient materials to enhance the repair process, a significant impact can be made on patients.
Burdick and his team drew inspiration from worms, which form three-dimensional "worm masses" with solid and liquid properties, to achieve strength and elasticity in 3D-printed hydrogels. This innovation could not only be applied in the regeneration of tissues and cartilage but also to address issues in bones and joints, bulging discs in the spine, and in less invasive sutures in surgeries.
The biomedical devices created with 3D printers allow for the customization of implants for specific patients, depositing layer upon layer of different materials, including living cells, which is crucial for creating multidimensional objects with various shapes and structures.
The material developed by the research team from the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Pennsylvania is elastic and strong enough to withstand heartbeats and support the load carried by joints. This new way of printing in 3D, known as CLEAR, enhances the strength of the hydrogels, allowing them to adapt and bond to moist tissues and organs.
This advancement in the creation of biomaterials could serve to repair heart defects and produce bandages that deliver medication directly to the heart muscle. According to experts, these biomaterials could be essential in helping to regenerate cardiac and cartilage tissues, which have a limited ability to self-repair. The team’s next step will be to conduct further studies to understand how tissues react to the presence of these 3D-printed hydrogels.
This innovative advancement represents hope for accelerating the healing process of cardiac and cartilage tissues, which, due to various causes such as diseases, accidents, or cardiac conditions, often require surgical intervention to heal.