Engineering Injectable Fibrous Hydrogels for Noninvasive Fibrous Tissue Repair
Abstract
Problem Statement: Skeletal muscle injuries and diseases are pervasively common in patients of many backgrounds ranging from elite athletes and Soldiers to the elderly. Despite the ability of skeletal muscle to repair itself following smaller injuries, there are a variety of traumatic injuries and disorders that result in an irrecoverable loss of muscle mass and function, termed volumetric muscle loss (VML). This proposal aims to develop and test a fiber-based biomaterial that mimics the architecture of native muscle tissue for the repair of VML injuries. Design Considerations and Innovation: An idealized biomaterial design for repair of fibrous tissues, such as muscle and tendon, would meet several seemingly contradictory criteria. The material would be strong and tough while retaining the ability to be injected through a needle to enable simple delivery. The material would also mimic the fiber-based structure of the native tissue while simultaneously promoting integration with the host tissue. While no such material currently exists, this proposal introduces an innovative approach to this challenge through the design of a fibrous biomaterial that can be injected and fill irregularly shaped defects. This approach specifically addresses the Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program focus area of Tissue Regeneration through the development of a novel material-based approach to repair fibrous tissues such as skeletal muscle, tendon, and muscle-tendon junctions. Approach and Potential Impact: The injectable fibrous biomaterial will be fabricated using water-swollen polymer networks called hydrogels. Hydrogels have been used for diverse biomedical applications ranging from contact lenses to tissue regeneration. Hydrogels can be engineered to match the organizational and mechanical properties of natural tissues. However, the chemical bonds holding together hydrogels often prevent them from being easily injected and delivered in a minimally invasive manner. In the first part of this project, hydrogel fibers will be engineered to interact with each other using reversible chemical interactions that allow the fibers to assemble into a solid material, but also allows the material to flow like a liquid during injection and then reassemble at the site of injury. This material will then be evaluated in a rat model of VML to assess the ability of the fibrous hydrogel to promote muscle regeneration through measurements of muscle force generation. Ultimately, the proposed work describes a platform technology that should be an enabling tool for fibrous tissue repair. This approach could be impactful as a therapy for both military and civilian patients suffering from debilitating muscle injuries.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Nov 19, 2019
- Source ID
- W81XWH1910157
Entities
People
- Steven R Caliari
Organizations
- United States Army
- University of Virginia