Saed News: British scientists, by converting blood into bone-healing materials, are aiming to pave the way for creating personalized products using 3D printing technology.
According to Saed News' Science and Technology Service, as reported by ISNA, scientists at the School of Pharmacy and Chemical Engineering at the University of Nottingham have developed a new biological material based on blood that successfully repairs bones and paves the way for personalized regenerative blood products. In the future, these blood products may be used as effective treatments for injuries and diseases.
According to the official website of the University of Nottingham, the scientists used peptide molecules that can guide key processes during tissue healing to create living materials that enhance tissue repair.
Most of our body's tissues have evolved significantly to repair tears or fractures, but this is only possible when the size is small. This healing process is very complex. The initial stages rely on liquid blood that forms a solid healing hematoma. This is a rich, living microenvironment containing key cells, macromolecules, and repair-regulating factors.
The research group created a self-assembly method where synthetic peptides are mixed with the patient’s blood to create a material capable of inhibiting key molecules, cells, and mechanisms involved in the natural healing process. This method enabled the engineering of repair materials that not only mimic the natural healing hematoma but also enhance its structural and functional properties.
These materials can be easily assembled, adjusted, and even 3D printed, while preserving the natural function of the healing hematoma, such as the natural behavior of platelets, growth factor production, and the use of relevant healing cells. The scientists demonstrated successful bone healing in animal models using the animals' own blood.
Professor Alvaro Mata, a professor of biomedical engineering and biomaterials at the University of Nottingham, said: “For years, scientists have been searching for artificial methods to recreate the natural healing environment, which is difficult due to its inherent complexity. In this research, we have adopted a method that works with biology instead of recreating it. This approach opens up opportunities to develop repair materials by inhibiting and enhancing the mechanisms of the natural healing process.”
Dr. Cosimo Ligorio, a researcher involved in the project, said: "The possibility of easily and safely converting people’s blood into healing products is truly exciting. Blood is essentially free, and it can be easily and relatively quickly obtained from patients. Our goal is to create a method that can be easily accessed and used in a clinical setting to quickly and safely convert patient blood into rich, accessible, and adjustable healing products."
