In the elderly, a multitude of factors contribute to diminished bone regeneration capabilities, including a reduction in the self-renewal and differentiation abilities of mesenchymal stem cells, an excessive accumulation of inflammatory signals, compromised blood vessel regeneration capacity, an imbalance between bone anabolism and catabolism, and inadequate bone innervation ..read more

A study published in the journal MedComm – Biomaterials and Applications, led by Dr. Xiaojing Wang from the Department of Oral Implantology at The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, focuses on addressing tooth loss, a prevalent dental condition linked to accidents, decay, periodontal disease, and congenital deficiencies ..read more

For the well over 700 million people around the globe living with type 1 diabetes, getting a host immune system to tolerate the presence of implanted insulin-secreting cells could be life-changing ..read more

Any medical device implanted in the body attracts bacteria, proteins, and other microbes to its surface, causing infections and thrombosis (blood clotting) that lead to hundreds of thousands of deaths annually. Devices can be coated with antibiotics, blood thinners, and other agents—but these eventually dissolve, limiting their longevity and effectiveness ..read more

(Medical Xpress)—Industrial robots can do incredible things, but their control systems are still incredibly complex. They rely largely on rotary electric power that is feedback-controlled, usually through precision optical encoders. Advances in artificial muscle technology, which could potentially simplify robot design, have been steady, but slow. With an eye towards building integrated bionic systems, researchers have been trying to construct devices based on real nerve and muscle. Most efforts so far have been limited to two-dimensional tissue culture systems which depend on adherence to a f ..read more

Blood vessel replacements (vascular grafts) are used today for hemodialysis blood access, trauma repair and cardiovascular reconstruction. The first synthetic vascular grafts (blood vessel replacements) were developed just after World War II and were fabricated from materials such as parachute cloth, stitched on home sewing machines. By the 1970s, commercial vascular grafts were introduced, made primarily from Dacron fabric or expanded Teflon (ePTFE ..read more

One of the approaches to improve the regeneration of body tissues is to focus on the physical surface cues of the biomaterial to see how different surface topographies such as tiny pillars may instruct cells "to do what we want them to do"—in this case regenerate bone tissue ..read more

Unique new material developed at University of Limerick (UL) in Ireland has shown significant promise in the treatment of spinal cord injury ..read more

Moniek Schmitz developed a fast and feasible way to test new, multifunctional biomaterials that prevent bacterial growth and reduce the use of antibiotics ..read more

Brittany Taylor is a biomedical engineer and assistant professor who studies novel ways to improve bone and tendon healing after injuries. She is exploring drug delivery systems and temporary artificial tissue replacements to promote healing of tendons and the interface with bones and muscle. Millions of musculoskeletal injuries each year cause pain and reduce people's quality of life. Here, she answers questions about the benefits of using composite materials—biological materials like tissue from animals or synthetic materials—to improve repair outcomes. Many of the techniques are still in th ..read more