How can fungi be used for constructing biomaterials? This is what a recent study published in JOM hopes to address as a team of researchers from the University of Utah investigated how certain fungal species could be used to produce hydrogels designed for biomedical systems. This study has the potential to help scientists and engineers develop new methods for using nature as biomaterials in everyday lives.
For the study, the researchers examined how the fungal species, Marquandomyces marquandi (M. marquandii) could be developed into hydrogels, which can hold large volumes of water while imitating human tissues. The researchers focused on M. marquandii due to its resilience and ability to retain 83 percent of water and found that it holds promise for being developed into biomaterials, including wearable devices and tissue regeneration.
“What you are seeing here is a hydrogel with multilayers,” said Atul Agrawal, who is a PhD candidate in the University of Utah’s John and Marcia Price College of Engineering and lead author of the study. “It’s visible to the naked eye, and these multiple layers have different porosity. So, the top layer has about 40% porosity, and then there is an alternating bands of 90% porosity and 70% porosity.”
Study authors, Dr. Steven Naleway and Atul Agrawal. (Credit: Dan Hixson, University of Utah)
As their name suggests, biomaterials are natural materials designed to interact with biological systems like human biology. For example, biomaterials play an important role in several medical applications, including biotechnology, dentistry, tissue engineering, drug delivery, and medical devices.
The history of biomaterials dates to more than 3000 BCE with the Egyptians and Mesopotamians when they used animal sinews for sutures. Therefore, studies like this can demonstrate the incredible promise of fungal species being converted into biomaterials that can be used for a myriad of medical applications worldwide.
How will hydrogels help develop new biomaterials in the coming years and decades? Only time will tell, and this is why we science!
As always, keep doing science & keep looking up!
Sources: JOM, EurekAlert!