Rationally designed anisotropic and auxetic hydrogel patches for adaptation to dynamic organs

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Regenerative Medicine
• Tissue Engineering

Background:

• Existing organ repair patches lack adaptability for dynamic organs like the heart and lungs.
• Dynamic organs exhibit complex anisotropic and auxetic mechanical properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create a novel biocompatible, bilayered hydrogel patch platform.
• To design patches that conform to the anisotropic and auxetic characteristics of dynamic organs.
• To develop a rational design framework for biomimetic organ repair patches.

Main Methods:

• Integrated computational and experimental studies screened over 116 anisotropic-auxetic architectures.
• Developed bilayered hydrogel patches with non-fouling top and cell-adhesive bottom layers.
• Validated patch performance in ex vivo and in vivo animal models, including lung puncture models.

Main Results:

• Auxetic patches demonstrated superior conformity to dynamic organ volumetric changes compared to non-auxetic designs.
• Novel hole-filling auxetic patches composited with fibrin significantly reduced pulmonary air leakage in rats.
• Established design rules for tailoring patches to diverse organ dynamics.

Conclusions:

• This work presents the first rational design framework for anisotropic and auxetic biomimetic patches.
• The developed patch platform shows significant potential for clinical applications in organ repair.
• These findings pave the way for advanced biomimetic solutions for dynamic organ regeneration.