Central nervous system (CNS) injuries, resulting from trauma to the brain or spinal cord, affect millions globally and are some of the most challenging medical conditions to treat. After a traumatic CNS injury, the body’s capacity to regenerate damaged neurons is hampered by an imbalance of growth factors, guidance cues, and inhibitory signals, which delays neural recovery and results in poor clinical outcomes. While treatments like electrical stimulation, topological guidance, and growth factor delivery show promise, a more comprehensive approach is necessary for effectively addressing CNS injuries. Researchers have now developed a new composite material that aids the growth of neural stem cells, offering the potential for treatments targeting CNS injuries and neurodegenerative diseases. Made from cellulose and piezo-ceramic particles, this composite is sustainable and possesses properties that could help repair brain and spinal cord damage. In addition to treating traumatic injuries, it could also be applied to diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease.

The new electrically active transplantable material, created by researchers at the University of Bath (Bath, UK) and Keele University (Keele, UK), could significantly improve recovery prospects for patients with life-changing injuries or neurodegenerative conditions. This 3D piezoelectric cellulose composite, described in a research paper published in Cell Reports Physical Sciences, can be used as a personalized ‘scaffold’ to precisely deliver neural stem cells (NSCs) to injury sites, promoting effective repair and regeneration of neurons and surrounding tissues essential for recovery. The composite material is composed of cellulose and potassium sodium niobate (KNN) piezo-ceramic particles. The scaffold implants created from it resemble small, paper-like tubes and can be customized for individual patients. A key feature of the composite’s clinical potential is its multifunctionality and the use of cellulose—a widely-available, sustainable structural component found in plants and algae.

Created through a process called directional freeze casting, the material’s structure is optimized to guide cell growth in a specific direction, as occurs in the spinal cord. This design helps cells repair and reconnect tissue damaged by traumatic injuries, and restore electrical pathways for signal transmission from the brain. Additionally, the material is porous, allowing space for new cells to naturally grow into the structure, simulating the three-dimensional network found in the body. It is also biodegradable by enzymes, meaning it can dissolve within the body once its role is complete. Most importantly, the ceramic microparticles possess piezoelectric properties, generating electrical charges when stressed or moved, thus providing the necessary stimulation for stem cells to grow.

The combination of these properties, and their ability to structure the scaffold, makes this material ideal for delivering neural stem cells and supporting their growth and differentiation into functional neural cells required for repair and recovery. The team of engineers, chemists, and neuroscientists believes the material has the potential to create new treatments aimed at restoring motor, sensory, or cognitive functions in individuals with CNS injuries or neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Future developments of the composite and implants will involve tests of biocompatibility and efficacy, further optimization of the materials and freeze-casting methods, scaling up manufacturing, and seeking regulatory approval.

“This is a groundbreaking biomaterial, which has the potential to redefine the prospects of recovery from central nervous system injuries or neurodegenerative diseases. It offers the hope of future treatments that could help patients regain crucial life-changing functions,” said Dr. Hamideh Khanbareh, a senior lecturer in the University of Bath’s Department of Mechanical Engineering. “It also offers clinicians the possibility to create therapeutic tools for treating conditions of this type and establishes a new class of versatile biomaterials that combine mechanical, electrical and biological cues. 

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