Healthcare (Commonwealth Union) – Tissue engineering has been seen as a revolutionary technique. It is a rapidly growing field within the realm of regenerative medicine, has the potential to revolutionize the way we approach healthcare. This innovative technology focuses on the development of functional substitutes for damaged or diseased human tissues and organs, using a combination of biological, chemical, and engineering principles. The origins of tissue engineering can be traced back to the early 20th century when scientists began to explore the concept of replacing damaged or lost tissues with engineered substitutes. However, it was not until the 1980s that the field truly began to gain momentum, with the development of the first synthetic skin graft, leading to the establishment of tissue engineering as significant form of treatment. In the decades since, tissue engineering has made significant strides in the development of functional tissues and organs for therapeutic use.
The potential applications of tissue engineering are vast and varied, ranging from the repair and regeneration of damaged tissues to the creation of whole organs for transplantation. In addition to addressing the current shortage of donor organs, tissue engineering has the potential to reduce the risk of organ rejection and the need for long-term immunosuppressive therapy, leading to improved patient outcomes and quality of life. While tissue engineering has made incredible strides in recent years, there are still many challenges that must be addressed before it can become a routine clinical practice. Despite these challenges, the future of tissue engineering is bright, with ongoing research and development efforts promising to bring this revolutionary technology closer to widespread clinical use. As tissue engineering continues to advance, it holds the potential to transform the field of medicine and offer new hope to millions of patients suffering from debilitating diseases and injuries. Prior research has shown how lab-made substance can imitate human tissue and possibly lower or replace the application of animal-derived materials for biomedical research.
A more breakthrough has been achieved by a collaborative team of chemists and bioengineers from Rice University and the University of Houston in their quest to develop a biomaterial for cultivating biological tissues externally. This advancement involves a pioneering fabrication technique to produce aligned nanofiber hydrogels, presenting promising avenues for tissue regeneration post-injury and offering an alternative for testing therapeutic drugs, thus possibly taking away the reliance on animal testing.
Headed by Jeffrey Hartgerink, a professor renowned in chemistry and bioengineering, the team has engineered peptide-based hydrogels mirroring the structured alignment of muscle and nerve tissues crucial for their functionality. Replicating such alignment in laboratory settings is intricate, demanding precise cellular arrangement.
For over a decade, the team has been meticulously designing multidomain peptides (MDPs) capable of self-assembling into nanofibers, akin to the natural fibrous proteins in the body, resembling nanoscale spiderwebs.
Their latest breakthrough, detailed in a publication featured on the cover of ACS Nano, unveils a novel approach to fashion aligned MDP nanofiber “noodles.” By initially dissolving peptides in water and subsequently extruding them into a saline solution, they achieved the formation of aligned peptide nanofibers, resembling minuscule twisted rope strands. Through gradual increases in ion concentration within the solution, they further enhanced nanofiber alignment, demonstrating remarkable precision and control in their fabrication process.
“Our findings demonstrate that our method can produce aligned peptide nanofibers that effectively guide cell growth in a desired direction,” said the lead author Adam Farsheed, who recently obtained his Ph.D. in bioengineering from Rice University. “This is a crucial step toward creating functional biological tissues for regenerative medicine applications.”
One significant revelation from the research was an unforeseen breakthrough: excessive alignment of the peptide nanofibers disrupted cell alignment. Deeper exploration uncovered that cells required the ability to “pull” on the peptide nanofibers to perceive alignment. If the nanofibers were overly rigid, cells couldn’t apply this force, leading to failure in arranging themselves as intended.
“This insight into cell behavior could have broader implications for tissue engineering and biomaterial design,” said Hartgerink. “Understanding how cells interact with these materials at the nanoscale could lead to more effective strategies for building tissues.”
Additional contributors from Rice University include Ph.D. graduates Tracy Yu and Carson Cole from the chemistry department, alongside graduate student Joseph Swain and undergraduate researcher Adam Thomas. Also joining as co-authors are bioengineering undergraduate researcher Jonathan Makhoul, graduate student Eric Garcia Huitron, and Professor K. Jane Grande-Allen. The team from the University of Houston comprises Ph.D. student Christian Zevallos-Delgado, research assistant Sajede Saeidifard, research assistant professor Manmohan Singh, as well as engineering professor Kirill Larin.
