(July 2, 2015) A team
of bioengineers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), led by Ali
Khademhosseini, PhD, and Nasim Annabi, PhD, of the Biomedical Engineering
Division, has developed a new protein-based gel that, when exposed to light,
mimics many of the properties of elastic tissue, such as skin and blood
vessels. In a paper published in Advanced Functional Materials, the research
team reports on the new material’s key properties, many of which can be finely
tuned, and on the results of using the material in preclinical models of wound
healing.
“We are very interested in engineering strong, elastic
materials from proteins because so many of the tissues within the human body
are elastic. If we want to use biomaterials to regenerate those tissues, we
need elasticity and flexibility,” said Annabi, a co-senior author of the study.
“Our hydrogel is very flexible, made from a biocompatible polypeptide and can
be activated using light.”