Silica‐Gelatin Hybrids with Tailorable Degradation and Mechanical Properties for Tissue Regeneration |
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Authors: | Oliver Mahony Olga Tsigkou Claudia Ionescu Caterina Minelli Lowell Ling Ruth Hanly Mark E. Smith Molly M. Stevens Julian R. Jones |
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Affiliation: | 1. Department of Materials and Institute of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ (UK);2. Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL (UK);3. Department of Materials, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ (UK) |
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Abstract: | Nature has evolved mechanisms to create a diversity of specialized materials through nanoscale organization. Inspired by nature, hybrid materials are designed with highly tailorable properties, which are achieved through careful control of their nanoscale interactions. These novel materials, based on a silica‐gelatin hybrid system, have the potential to serve as a platform technology for human tissue regeneration. Covalent interactions between the inorganic and organic constituents of the hybrid are essential to enable the precise control of mechanical and dissolution properties. Furthermore, hybrid scaffold porosity is found to highly influence mechanical properties, to the extent where scaffolds of particular strength could be specified based on their porosity. The hybrids also demonstrate a non‐cytotoxic effect when mesenchymal stem cells are cultured on the material. Cytoskeletal proteins of the cells are imaged using actin and vimentin staining. It is envisaged these hybrid materials will find a diverse application in both hard and soft tissue regenerating scaffolds. |
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Keywords: | Hybrid materials Biomedical Applications Tissue Engineering Porous Materials Silica Composites |
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