An international team of researchers with the participation of a professor of the Moscow State University named after M.V.
Lomonosov Moscow State University, Dmitry Ivanov has developed a polymer material that can become an ideal implant for the restoration of soft tissues of a living organism.
This is reported in the Advanced Materials journal.
Professor Dmitry Ivanov and his colleagues work with nature-imitating (biomimetic) compounds based on the so-called brush copolymers.
The polymer chains in such compounds have side branches - molecular pendants, which make them look like brushes for washing bottles.
A team of scientists works at the intersection of chemistry, physics, biology and medicine and creates "smart" materials that acquire the properties of living body tissue and contribute to its restoration.
“There are many project teams in our international team.
One synthesizes molecules, the other conducts computer simulations, the third (our laboratory of physicists) investigates the structure and phase transformations of our material.
Such, for example, as crystallization or melting.
The unusual properties of such a material bring it closer to the living world, "Professor Dmitry Ivanov said in an interview with RT.
After all the preclinical and clinical trials of the new brush copolymer, it can be injected into damaged tissue in a solid form, the researchers are sure.
Once in the body, such a material melts under the influence of body temperature, fills the missing volume and acquires the properties of living tissue - skin, cartilage or fat cells.
At the same time, scientists say, the polymer will not be rejected by the body.
“Our body has unique properties.
For example, leather is very soft and at the same time strong, it gets stiff when you try to stretch it.
In our work, we were able to find and demonstrate such a combination of properties in the synthesized polymer.
In addition, it can be programmed for each individual case, "Ivanov explained.
According to the specialist, such a material can become part of the personalized medicine of the future, since it can be set the required deformation properties and adjusted to a specific tissue of a particular person.
“Our material belongs to the category of“ smart ”materials of the“ soft matter ”class - soft matter.
It is able to react very strongly to changes in external physical parameters, which is very important when it is used as an implant for various types of living tissue, ”the professor added.
Another property of the new material, scientists call the possibility of introducing drugs with its help.
In this case, the polymer is cast, for example, in the form of a needle, which, together with a medicinal preparation, safely penetrates into the desired area of the body.
When melted, the material passes into a highly elastic state and begins to release drugs.
According to Dmitry Ivanov, the new material is already ready for preclinical tests on large animals, which are scheduled for 2021.