Technology has been developed to introduce a new type of two dimensional nanosilicate clay that delivers multiple specialized growth factor proteins into the body to stimulate new blood vessel formation, which is designed to prolong release through its high surface area and charged characteristics to allow blood vessels time to form, according to the researchers.
Nanosilicate clay acts like tiny magnets to hold the growth factors within polymeric hydrogels and release them very slowly, sustained prolonged releases of physiologically relevant doses of growth factors are important to avoid high dose problems such as abrupt tissue formation to keep growth factors organized preventing abnormal growth and moderating activity of surrounding cells; technology may have impacts on designing next generations of bioactive scaffolds and implants.