Inspired by the remarkable ability of sea cucumbers to change the stiffness of their bodies, researchers at the University of Waterloo have developed a gel that could help repair damaged tendons and other soft tissues without leaving any traces behind.
The water-rich material, known as a hydrogel, acts as a temporary supporting scaffold that allows new tissue to grow as the material gradually breaks down, Nauchnaya Rossiya reports. Like the sea cucumbers that inspired its development, the gel can be made softer or stiffer, potentially allowing it to support the healing of different tissues throughout the body.
“Not all soft tissues need the same kind of scaffold,” said Dr. Yiming Wu, the study's lead researcher at the University of Waterloo. “A material placed next to the soft brain needs to behave differently from one used to repair a tough tendon.”
After four years of research, the international team tested the gel in a preclinical study involving rats, with promising results. Rats with injured tendons that received injections of the gel healed better than those treated with sutures alone.
The results showed that the gel promoted the growth of new, more organized tissue. As the tendons healed, the material gradually broke down and was absorbed by the body over a period of eight weeks.
The researchers also observed improvements in the repaired tendons compared with those stitched using sutures alone. This suggests that the material could promote more effective healing.
“We were extremely encouraged by the results,” said Dr. Yuchao Teng, a co-author of the study. “The material did more than simply perform well. The tendon regenerated with more organized new tissue and retained functionality comparable to that of a healthy tendon.”
To create the gel, the researchers first freeze the material to form its internal structure. They then immerse it in specially prepared salt solutions that allow them to adjust its stiffness, making it softer or denser depending on the type of tissue it is intended to support.
The ability to customize the gel could make it useful for repairing a range of tissues, including muscles, cartilage, and skin, as well as delicate tissues in the brain and other organs. However, further research is needed to determine whether it can promote healing safely and effectively in different parts of the body.
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