Output details
13 - Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Metallurgy and Materials
University of Sheffield : B - Materials Science and Engineering
Arginine functionalization of hydrogels for heparin binding-a supramolecular approach to developing a pro-angiogenic biomaterial
A key challenge in tissue engineering is to promote essential blood vessel formation into tissues after transplantation. A breakthrough hydrogel biomaterial was produced and functionalised with peptides. Both of these were then demonstrated to interface with the body’s own mechanism of producing new blood vessels by binding the polysaccharide heparin. In the body, heparin acts to bind and stabilise small unstable growth factors that stimulate new blood vessel formation. Both hydrogels were found to bind heparin and then to bind and release a bioactive form of a key growth factor, which stimulated the cells to form new blood vessels.
