From Lab to Life: ‘Silicon’ That Heals Hearts

When our bathroom sink loosened from the wall, we bought a ‘silicon gun’ –  and it was a quick fix.

What if we could fix damaged hearts in the same way, by injecting a biomedical gel?   New research reported by Science Daily, May 5, suggests this is not a science fiction pipe dream.

From the University of California, San Diego: “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.” *

• Martin T. Spang, et al. Intravascularly infused extracellular matrix as a biomaterial for targeting and treating inflamed tissues. Nature Biomedical Engineering, 2022; 7 (2): 94 DOI: 10.1038/s41551-022-00964-5

Heart attacks are among the most serious medical emergencies in the United States; an estimated 785,000 new cases occur 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.

So, how does new stuff work exactly?  “The biomaterial is based on a hydrogel –a biomaterial designed to travel through the bloodstream [offers] 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 bloodstream based approach gives the biomaterial a major practical advantage. Instead of staying in a few injection sites, it can spread more evenly through damaged tissue. That could make it especially valuable after a heart attack, when injured areas may be difficult to reach directly and time is critical.”