Hydrogel That Leads to Improved Tissue Repair Through Adaptive Immune System Developed

Researchers at Duke University and the University of California have developed a biomaterial that significantly reduces scar formation after wounding, leading to more effective skin healing. Their research was published today in Nature Materials.

This work builds on the team's previous research with hydrogel scaffolds, which create a structure to support tissue growth, accelerating wound healing. In their new study, the team showed that a modified version of this hydrogel activates a regenerative immune response, which can potentially help heal skin injuries like burns, cuts, diabetic ulcers and other wounds that normally heal with significant scars that are more susceptible to reinjury.

"The body forms scar tissue as fast as possible to reduce the chance of infection, to reduce pain, and, in larger wounds, to avoid water loss through evaporation," said Maani Archang, a first author on the paper.

The updated material integrated into the wound and supported the tissue as the wound closed. But instead of lasting longer, the team discovered that the new gel had almost entirely disappeared from the wound site, leaving behind just a few particles. Because the original MAP gel was made with the common L peptide structure, it generated a mild innate immune response. But when the team placed the reformulated gel into a wound, the foreign D chirality activated the adaptive immune system, which created antibodies and activated cells including macrophages that targeted and cleared out the gel more quickly after the wound closed.

"This study shows us that activating the immune system can be used to tilt the balance of wound healing from tissue destruction and scar formation to tissue repair and skin regeneration," said lead researcher Tatiana Segura. "I am excited about the possibility of designing materials that can directly interact with the immune system to support tissue regeneration,” Segura concluded.