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Biomaterials for drug delivery and tissue scaffolds

From biocompatible polymers, to spider silk our scientists and engineers are developing new materials to deliver drugs into the body, with precision and with controlled release of the therapeutics. Biomaterials present great opportunities for supporting the body’s own healing processes, from resorbable materials to tissue scaffolds promoting bone and tissue repair.

Injectable biomaterials for delivery of therapies and regeneration

Kevin Shakesheff - Locate Therapeutics

We are developing injectable scaffolds and hydrogels to support the delivery of therapies and cell regeneration

Injectable scaffolds - Locate Bio

We have developed a series of injectable scaffolds for delivery of cells and growth factors to promote tissue repair.

This has been commercialised through our spin-out company Locate Bio.

The family of injectable scaffolds uses TAOS® (Targeted Orchestrated Signalling matrix) technology. These solidify within the body and can be used to support tissue growth and precisely deliver cells or protein therapies via minimally invasive surgical procedures.

Kevin Shakesheff, Professor of Advanced Drug Delivery and Tissue Engineering

Injectable bone - Locate Bio

Injectable bone material can be squirted into broken bones and hardens within minutes.

This has been commercialised by our spin-out company Locate Bio

The TAOS® 'injectable bone' material can be squirted into broken bones and hardens within minutes. The substance, which looks similar to toothpaste, fills bone defect areas to provide both mechanical integrity and a porous osteoconductive network for bone regeneration.

The polymer surfaces (and porous structure) support the migration of osteoblast progenitor cells and their differentiation into bone-forming secretory osteoblasts. As new bone is formed, the TAOS® polymer is resorbed from the site of implantation, thereby facilitating the restoration of normal bone contours and biomechanics.

Expert: Kevin Shakesheff, Professor of Advanced Drug Delivery and Tissue Engineering

Resorbable biomaterials for bone healing

Polymers inside us

Our experts are developing resorbable materials to replace, repair or support broken bones whilst they are healing, removing the need for metal implants.

BENcH project

Our experts are developing resorbable materials which can support a fractured bone whilst it is healing and gradually degrade until all that is left is the healed bone

Currently, fractured bones which require surgical intervention are supported by metal implants, pins and screws. Metals are far stiffer than bone and this can affect the healing process and lead to repeat surgeries. Polymers are a much closer match to the mechanical properties of bones, and once the bone is healed, polymer pins and screws will degrade naturally within the body.

During the BENcH project we developed nano particles which can control the rate of degradation.

Experts:

Davide de Focatiis, Associate Professor
Ed Lester, The Lady Trent Professor of Chemical Engineering

Advanced Materials Research Group

Biobones project

The Biobones project has developed biodegradable composite materials to replace and repair broken bones. Replacing bone usually relies on metal pins or plates which have to be removed later.

The Biobones team worked with a consultant maxillofacial surgeon at the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham to develop a composite material (using long fibre-reinforced composites) with similar mechanical properties to bone, but includes a fully resorbable biodegradable glass fibre to allow new bone to grow.

This technology had promising clinical trials and is in the process of commercialisation.

Experts

Andy Parsons Senior Research Fellow
Chris Rudd Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Ifty Ahmed, Associate Professor in Advanced Materials

Advanced Materials Research Group

Plastics Inside Us - Royal Society Summer Exhibition

Prophylactic treatment of osteoporosis

Ifty Ahmed

We are developing minimally invasive bone tissue regeneration for prophylactic treatment of osteoporosis, using bioresorbable spheres.

By targeting at-risk areas prone to fracture (eg hip and spine), we can help to prevent fractures through this prophylactic treatment.

The highly porous bioresorbable spheres are made of calcium phosphate, which is the same make-up as bone. Filling the spheres with the body’s own stem cells, the calcium phosphates degrade leaving the stem cells to regenerate the patient’s bone.

Following £1.2m NIHR funding, we are now looking towards pre-clinical trials for this exciting technology.

Experts:

Ifty Ahmed, Associate Professor in Advanced Materials
Brigitte Scammell, Professor of Orthopaedic Sciences, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon

Advanced Materials Research Group

Osteochondrial scaffolds for cartilage repair

We are developing osteochondrial scaffolds which anchor into the cartilage and bone region of a joint surface to promote the repair or replacement of bone cartilage.

This is targeted at early stages of osteoarthritis and traumatic injury.This technology is now at the stage of undertaking the first in vivo study.

Experts

David Grant Professor of Materials Science
Colin Scotchford Associate Professor

3D bioprinting

Jing Yang

3D bioprinting can be used for tissue replacements and tissue models for research, drug discovery and toxicology.

3D bioprinting technologies

We are developing 3D bioprinting technologies for application in regenerative medicine to address the need for tissues for transplantation.

Experts:

Jing Yang, Associate Professor, Centre for Biomolecular Sciences
Joel Segal, Associate Professor in Biomedical Manufacturing

New biomaterials for 3D printing

New biomaterials are being discovered that support 3D biofabrication of tissue-like vascular structures.

Read the press release

https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/news/biomaterial-discovery-enables-3d-printing

Experts:

Alvaro Mata, Chair in Biomedical Engineering and Biomaterials

Electrospinning scaffolds for tissue engineering

Felicity Rose tissue engineering

We are using electrospinning technology to produce scaffolds for tissue engineering, including gut, cornea, lung and skin wound healing.

Experts:

Felicity Rose, Professor of Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering
Joel Segal, Associate Professor in Biomedical Manufacturing

Read about our Knowledge Transfer Partnership with The Electrospinning Company

Regenerative Medicines and Cellular Therapies Research Division

Biomaterials discovery programme

Morgan Alexander holding a microplate

In our EPSRC Next Generation Biomaterials Discovery programme,we are aiming to develop advanced materials for regenerative medicine, drug delivery and medical devices.

Next Generation Biomaterials Discovery is a five-year, £6.5m EPSRC-funded programme led by The University of Nottingham, aiming to make the leap from 2D to 3D in the development of advanced materials and realise the true potential of regenerative medicine, advanced drug delivery and medical devices for the future.

We are focussing on chemistries for new self-assembling delivery vehicles, and formulation of new particulates with enhanced drug compatibility using structure-informed nanoparticle libraries.

Find out more about drug delivery in our EPSRC Next Generation Biomaterials Discovery

Targeted therapeutics for cancer

Ruman Rahman

We are synthesising polymers to direct drugs to specific regions where a tumour is present rather than systemic drug delivery.

As part of the Next Generation Biomaterials Discovery Programme, we are targeting delivery of complex anti-cancer therapeutics, and innovative antimicrobials, including anti-virulence agents in dynamic controlled matrices for new anti-resistance therapies.

Breast cancer

One potential application focusses around triple negative breast cancers which are not treatable by convential cancer medicines.

Brain Tumours

As part of the Children's Brain Tumour Research Centre, we are also investigating the application of a biodegradable paste to deliver drugs directly to the site of a brain tumour at the point of surgery.

Delivering cancer drugs locally within the tumour resection cavity bypasses the blood-brain--barrier and can achieve a high effective dose locally whilst maintaining a low toxic dose systematically.

This technology has shown significantly prolonged survival in preclinical tests.

Experts:

Ruman Rahman Assistant Professor of Molecular Neuro-Oncology
Stuart Smith,

Children's Brain Tumour Research Centre

Corneal repair

Eye - from www.pixabay.com

We have developed a regenerative therapy made from human amniotic membrane, which is used by ophthalmologists as a sight-saving wound healing treatment.

The unique biological dressing ‘Omnigen’ can be used as would healing treatment for ophthalmic diseases and wounds including abrasions, ulcers, chemical burns and more serious perforations through planned operations on the eye.

This technology has been commercialised by spin-out company NuVision Biotherapies and it is being used in the NHS and by vetinary practices in the UK and by clinicians internationally.

The latest innovation is a special contact lens, OmniLenz, which now allows application of Omnigen in the clinic without the need for complex and cost surgery.

Omnigen can be shipped and stored at room temperature and can be quickly and easily applied as easy as a contact lens. When applied, the natural moisture in the eye works to rehydrate the patch and immediately delivers pain reduction and antibacterial capability whilst healing the eye. Omnigen can remain in the eye as a type of scaffold on to which eye cells can grow as the organ heals, or can be removed once the wound healing process has been achieved.

The wound healing benefits of Omnigen are now being explored in the treatment of other soft tissue wounds. A clinical trial has recently started with Derby hospital exploring the treatment of Diabetic Foot Ulcers with Omnigen as a wound healing graft for non-healing wounds.

. Read more about Omingen's healing capabilities

Experts:

Andy Hopkinson, Principal Research Fellow in Opthalmology
Harminder Dua, Professor of Opthalmology and Visual Sciences
Laura Sidney, Senior Research and Anne McClaren Fellow, Opthalmology

NuVision - Healing corneal disease and trauma

Using spider silk to support tissue growth

Dr-Sara-Goodacre-with-a-common-house-spider

We generate spider silk in E. coli that can be used to generate fibres, hydrogels or films that can be used to support tissue growth and wound healing.

Using un-natural amino acid mutagenesis we can introduce amino acids that have very selective reactivity into the silk proteins allowing ligands to be site-specifically attached using a variety of ‘click’ chemistry reactions.

These can then be modified with drugs, imaging agents or other ligands to add new properties to the silk including making antibacterial silks and silks that can be used as temporary scaffolds to support mammalian tissue growth. We are exploring its application in wound healing.

Experts:

Neil Thomas, Professor of Medicinal and Biological Chemistry
Sara Goodacre, Associate Professor in Life Sciences
Lisa White, Assistant Professor in regenerative medicine

Visit ArachNotts - SpiderLab

Supporting cell engraftment for liver repair

Lisa White

As part of the £4m UKRI Regenerative Medicine Platform ‘Acellular / Smart Materials’ Hub we are developing microparticles to support cell therapies for liver repair.

By delivering microparticles alongside transplanted cells into the liver we can provide controlled release of growth factors and immunomodulatory molecules that support the survival and engraftment of the transplanted cells.

We have developed polymeric microparticles that preferentially attach to cells already present in the liver. These microparticles are loaded with different molecules that are released in a controlled and sustained way to create a microenvironment in the liver that supports the incoming cell populations. In collaboration with the University of Edinburgh, we are currently undertaking pre-clinical trials of this new technology.

Experts:

Lisa White Assistant Professor in regenerative medicine

UKRI Regenerative Medicine Platform Acellar/Smart materials hub

Email: info@healthcaretechnologies.ac.uk