University of Massachusetts researchers are once again on the cutting edge of polymer research.
Professor Surita Bhatia’s research team is developing new polymer materials that can encapsulate and deliver various types of organ cells and tissues for transfer into the human body.
The process, which may provide people with alternatives to risky organ transplants such as liver thyroid, pancreas and cartilage procedures, is well underway at the University of Massachusetts. Today, many people wait for a disproportionately low number of organs and many risk not surviving to receive an organ transplant.
Bhatia, who is the recent winner of the National Science Foundation’s prestigious Career Award, is quick to point out that.
“The project is really collaborative, while we all are working on different aspects of it what we are really trying to do is address the field of tissue engineering,” she said.
For the past four years, Bhatia has been collaborating with Susan Roberts of the Chemical Engineering department and Gregory Tew of the Polymer Science and Engineering department. Traditionally, tissue engineering has been in the realm of medical and biological science however the strength of polymer research at UMass has brought innovative and original ideas to medical science.
“What we are trying to do that is a little different is to focus on materials where we can control structure and mechanical properties,” Bhatia said.
Professor Bhatia said she hopes the resources of the Chemical Engineering department can be applied to tissue engineering. The challenge for Bhatia is providing the encapsulated cells or tissues with the oxygen necessary for cell survival and replication. Bhatia explained that other researchers have engineered materials that encourage blood vessel growth, which in turn provides the encapsulated cell with the oxygen necessary for survival.
However, Bhatia and her colleagues are approaching the problem of oxygen transport a different way.
“What we wanted to do is use a material that has a high solubility for oxygen,” Bhatia said. “Just like we have liquids that can dissolve carbon dioxide, like soda, we have liquids that can dissolve oxygen.”
Though water has relatively low oxygen solubility some liquids, like those used for cell encapsulation, have an incredibly high ability to hold oxygen.
When properly engineered, the gel will protect the developing cell but more importantly it will provide the cell with the oxygen necessary for life.
“Liver and pancreatic tissues in particular have a high demand for oxygen,” Bhatia said. “If you don’t supply enough oxygen, like the body would do with its blood supply, the organ cells might either die or not function properly.”
It is vital that the polymers, which Bhatia’s team has developed, are accepted by the human body. Therefore, Bhatia’s team used polymers that have been approved by the FDA.
“Most of the materials that we are looking at are bio-degradable,” she said.
Cartilage replacement and production has proven to be a challenge and Bhatia’s research has attracted the attention of companies looking for the patents. Cartilage replacement could help victims of car accidents or fires who have been left disfigured. Bhatia is focused on customizing gels that mimic the elastic or shock absorbing characteristics of cartilage in knees, elbows, shoulders and various other joints where cartilage may be damaged or missing.
Arthritis and spinal disc complications are the leading cause of disability in the United States and treatment costs exceed $65 billion. Each year in the United States 1 million people undergo cartilage reconstructive surgery.
“What we want to do is develop general delivery devices that you could use with multiple kinds of cells,” Bhatia said.
“Problems like this are never solved by one research team, usually you have one small piece of the puzzle,” she said.
Professor Bhatia has recently applied for a NIH grant to continue her polymer research for an additional five years and is optimistic of the potential cell encapsulation applications and treatments.
