The Spaces Between

Plants need soft, structured soil, so their roots can weave through spaces between particles. Cells in the body trying to re-grow enjoy similarly porous growth conditions, which granular hydrogels – injectable growth-encouraging materials – can provide during tissue repair after injury or disease. Researchers thought the shape of particles in these hydrogels might impact the ease with which cells grow, so ran digital simulations of bead transport through materials composed of small (left) and larger (middle) spheres, or rod-shaped particles (right). Beads moved more freely through pores in the rodded material, with more interconnected pathways. This ease of access helped cell growth in practice too: in experiments various cell types penetrated the material and grew at a higher density in hydrogels with rod-shaped particles than with spherical. Improved hydrogel design could lead to more efficient repair and regeneration in injured tissue, and better outcomes for patients.

Written by Anthony Lewis

Anthony Lewis

Writer

Ant was the web editor in the early days of BPoD, and has since worked with the UK’s top science organisations as a writer and multimedia producer. He now splits his time between freelance work and managing multimedia at The Lancet.

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• Video from work by Taimoor H. Qazi and colleagues
• Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
• Video copyright held by and video supplied by the authors
• Published in Advanced Materials, December 2021