Russian Scientists Proposed a Composite for Regenerative Medicine

IKBFU researchers have proposed an idea for a smart material for use in regenerative medicine. Scientists noted that the greater magnetoelectric effect a composite material has, the better it is for bone regeneration and determined the conditions for the occurrence of the effect. The study was published in the Soft Matter scientific journal.

A composite has unique properties not present in any individual elements used to create it. The development of smart materials that can reversibly change their properties under external influence is a rapidly growing trend in materials science. Among such are magnetoelectric composites, the properties of which change upon exposure to a magnetic field.

The magnetic field causes a change in the electric polarisation — positive and negative charges (which were previously offset by each other) separate. The opposite is also possible.

According to Artem Ignatov, a research laboratory assistant at IKBFU, the material capable of generating surface charges in response to an applied magnetic field significantly affects certain cellular processes. It increases the rate of deposition of osteogenic stem cells and creates favourable conditions for tissue growth. Ignatov noted that it is necessary to study the mechanisms of the magnetoelectric effect in the composite to regulate the process.

The findings will help to obtain a composite with the greatest predisposition to the magnetoelectric effect.

The scientists plan to increase the complexity of the analysed mathematical frameworks to get better approximation of real-world samples.

The study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation grant No. 21-72-30032.