Nanoengineers at the University of California have developed a new biomaterial with properties similar to those of human tissue. The material is designed for repairing damaged human tissue.

The new biomaterial was presented in the journal Advanced Functional Materials. It is an important step in creating tissue patches that are more compatible with native human tissue than current patches. These patches are used to repair damaged heart walls, blood vessels and skin.

One layer of the material is about twice as thick as a human hair, which is not thick enough to repair a heart wall or skin tissue. But another special quality of the material is that it keeps its properties when used in multiple layers. So the number of layers in a tissue patch can be varied to suit the native tissue that needs to be repaired.

But while the material was created for repairing damaged human tissue, its manufacturing method could also be used to create other materials, including metal parts for ships and spacecraft. And the material itself might also find its way into applications in energy, defense or communications.

© Jorn van Dooren | www.bitsofscience.org

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