Breakthrough biomaterial heals tissue from the inside out
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Breakthrough biomaterial heals tissue from the inside out
A new IV-injected biomaterial could revolutionize healing by repairing damaged tissue from the inside out.
Date:
May 5, 2026
Source:
University of California - San Diego
Summary:
Scientists have developed a breakthrough injectable biomaterial that travels through the bloodstream to repair damaged tissue from within, reducing inflammation and jumpstarting healing. In animal studies, it successfully treated heart attack damage and even showed promise for conditions like traumatic brain injury and pulmonary hypertension. Unlike earlier approaches that required direct injection into the heart, this new therapy can be delivered intravenously, allowing it to spread evenly and act quickly.
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The biomaterial is based on a hydrogel developed at UC San Diego. Credit: David Baillot/University of California, San Diego
A biomaterial designed to travel through the bloodstream could offer a less invasive way to calm inflammation and help injured tissue repair itself. In animal studies, the injectable material improved tissue damage caused by heart attacks in both rodents and large animals. Early proof of concept experiments also suggested that the same approach may one day be useful for other inflammation driven conditions, including traumatic brain injury and pulmonary arterial hypertension.
"This biomaterial allows for treating damaged tissue from the inside out," said Karen Christman, a professor of bioengineering at the University of California San Diego, and the lead researcher on the team that developed the material. "It's a new approach to regenerative engineering."
The findings were reported in Nature Biomedical Engineering in 2022 by a team of bioengineers and physicians. At the time, Christman said a human study testing the safety and effectiveness of the biomaterial could begin within one to two years.
A New Route for Repairing Heart Damage
Heart attacks remain one of the most serious medical emergencies in the United States, with an estimated 785,000 new cases each year. When blood flow to the heart is blocked, cardiac tissue can be injured or die. The body responds by forming scar tissue, but that scar does not contract like healthy heart muscle. Over time, this can weaken the heart and contribute to congestive heart failure.
There is currently no established therapy that directly repairs heart tissue after a heart attack. Existing care focuses on restoring blood flow, limiting further injury, and managing the risk of future heart problems.
"Coronary artery disease, acute myocardial infarction, and congestive heart failure continue to be the most burdensome public health problems affecting our society today," said Dr. Ryan R. Reeves, a physician in the UC San Diego Division of Cardiovascular Medicine. "As an interventional cardiologist, who treats patients with coronary artery disease and congestive heart failure on a daily basis, I would love to have another therapy to improve patient outcomes and reduce debilitating symptoms."
From Heart Hydrogel to Bloodstream Infusion
The work builds on earlier research from Christman's team involving a hydrogel made from the natural scaffolding of cardiac muscle tissue, also known as the extracellular matrix (ECM). That gel was designed to be delivered directly into damaged heart muscle through a catheter. Once in place, it forms a supportive structure that encourages cell growth and tissue repair.
Results from a successful phase 1 human clinical trial of that earlier hydrogel approach were reported in fall 2019. The trial found that transendocardial injection of VentriGel, a cardiac extracellular matrix hydrogel, was safe and feasible in post heart attack patients with left ventricular dysfunction, although larger randomized studies would be needed to test whether it improves outcomes.
The direct injection method, however, has an important limitation. Because it requires a needle based injection into the heart muscle, it generally cannot be used immediately after a heart attack. Delivering it too soon could risk additional injury.
That challenge pushed the researchers toward a different idea: a biomaterial that could be infused into a blood vessel in the heart during procedures such as angioplasty or stenting, or delivered through an IV.
"We sought to design a biomaterial therapy that could be delivered to difficult-to-access organs and tissues, and we came up with the method to take advantage of the bloodstream -- the vessels that already supply blood to these organs and tissues," said Martin Spang, the paper's first author, who earned his Ph.D. in Christman's group in the Shu Chien-Gene Lay Department of Bioengineering.
Why IV Delivery Matters
The bloodstream based approach gives the biomaterial a major practical advantage. Instead of staying in a few injection sites, it can spread