ETH researchers develop hydrogel for bone healing

(CONNECT) ETH researchers have developed a new type of hydrogel that consists largely of water and a polymer network. The hydrogel can be quickly solidified with laser light to form a material with microscopically fine structures, which can then be colonized by bone-forming cells. According to a press release, the material could be used as a bone implant in the future and thus improve the healing of bone fractures.

Bone implants are required for healing in the event of major bone damage. While most implants are either too rigid or, in the case of an autograft, have to be removed from the patient at a second surgical site, the new hydrogel is as soft as pudding and dissolves in the body over time.

The material was developed by Xiao-Hua Qin, Professor of Biomaterials Engineering at ETH Zurich, together with his team and ETH Professor Ralph Müller. It is modeled on natural bone healing and consists of 97 percent water and 3 percent biocompatible polymer. A compound molecule and a molecule that reacts to light allow the material to solidify as desired. With the help of laser beams, any shape and structure can be printed into the hydrogel in fine resolution, which means that the material could be used for customized bone implants.

In their study, the researchers produced, among other things, complex structured hydrogels that "look like real bone and have a fine network of bone beads", according to the press release. Tests in test tubes have already shown that bone-forming cells quickly colonize the structured hydrogel and begin to form collagen. It has also been shown that the material is biocompatible and does not damage bone-forming cells.

The material will next be tested in animals in collaboration with the AO Research Institute Davos. The aim is for the hydrogel to be used in the repair of broken bones in hospitals in the future. ce/nta