Wool-derived scaffold supports bone repair
A keratin membrane made from waste wool could prove an alternative to collagen in regenerative medicine.
Collagen has long been considered the ‘gold standard’ for regenerative medical and dental applications, providing a protective barrier that allows bone to regrow while preventing soft tissue from interfering with healing. However, collagen can be weak, break down too quickly, and be complex and expensive to extract.
A team at King’s College London, UK, has developed membranes from wool-derived keratin and chemically treated them to create stable and durable scaffolds. In lab tests, they report human bone cells grew well on the membranes and show signs of healthy bone formation.
The researchers then implanted the membranes into rats with skull defects large enough to not heal naturally. While collagen membranes produced more bone overall, the keratin scaffolds reportedly generated more organised tissue, with fibres that were better aligned and that more closely resembled healthy bone.
The membranes also integrate with surrounding tissue and remain stable during healing, suggesting potential for further development as a regenerative biomaterial.
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