New Biomaterial May Better Control Implant Degradation

A team of American and British researchers have discovered a way to fine-tune a new biomaterial to control degradation and certain mechanical properties without loss of strength.

In a new study, “Concomitant control of mechanical properties and degradation in resorbable elastomer-like materials using stereochemistry and stoichiometry for soft tissue engineering,” published in Nature Communications, the researchers show how the addition of varying amounts of succinic acid can be used to control the rate the material degrades within the body without the material losing strength.

A team at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom and Duke University in the United States designed the thermoplastic elastomer-like material for use in soft tissue repair. It has many applications including treating torn ligaments and other sports-related injuries.

The researchers found that it degrades gradually over a period of four months until eventually healthy tissue replaces the implant. They tested the material’s biocompatibility and safety in rat models.

The team explained that the structural changes needed to increase degradation of a biomaterial would normally weaken the material, but they were able to tweak the materials’ mechanical properties so there would be no loss strength.

This adaptability is a game changer they said.

“Biological tissues are complex with varying elastic properties. Efforts to produce synthetic replacements that have the right physical characteristics and that can also degrade in the body have been ongoing for decades,” said study co-author Andrew Dove, Ph.D., professor of sustainable polymer chemistry at the University of Birmingham.

“Part of the challenge is that a ‘one-size fits-all’ approach doesn’t work. Our research opens up the possibility of engineering biological implants with properties that can be fine-tuned for each specific application.”

“The materials we have developed offer a real advance in the ongoing search for new biomaterials. The tunable nature of the material makes it suitable for a range of different applications from replacement bone to vascular stents to wearable electronics. Additional work to prove the biocompatibility of the material and its use in more advanced demonstration is ongoing,” added Matthew Becker, Ph.D., Hugo L. Blomquist Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Duke University.