Biomedical Polymer Scaffold Materials for Tissue Regeneration

The regeneration of human tissues and organs represents a major frontier in science and an urgent clinical challenge worldwide. Biomedical polymer scaffolds serve as indispensable tools in this field. However, the efficacy of existing scaffolds is often limited by simplified structures, insufficient bioactivity, and limited capability for dynamic regulation of the regenerative microenvironment. Therefore, there is a critical need to develop advanced polymer scaffolds with spatiotemporal dynamic control to enhance regenerative outcomes. We have conducted a series of systematic studies focused on advanced biomedical polymer scaffolds for tissue regeneration. By integrating electrospraying with masking techniques and a gradient cross-linking strategy, we developed biomimetic three-dimensional fiber–hydrogel composite bioactive scaffolds. These systems enable the integration of multiple inductive cues, including topographical features, gradient signals, and bioactive factors, thereby achieving ordered, multi-stage spatiotemporal regulation to promote nerve tissue regeneration. Building on this platform, we further developed flexible bioelectronic interfaces based on core–shell electroactive nanofibers. Through coaxial electrospinning, mechanical compliance and stable electrical conductivity were effectively integrated, leading to a synergistic enhancement of neuromodulation and structural repair. Furthermore, by combining photothermal effects with phase-change gating materials, we constructed stimulus-responsive bioactive scaffolds and proposed a strategy that synergizes scaffold systems with exogenous physical stimulation. We further developed a masking-assisted approach for the spatiotemporal delivery of bioactive factors. When combined with mild photothermal effects, this system enables dynamic regulation to promote skin wound healing regeneration. In addition, to guide cellular behavior during regeneration, we engineered radially aligned scaffolds with well-defined guidance gradients. By establishing a radial density gradient of surface-deposited bioactive factors, precise control over cell migration and proliferation was achieved, significantly accelerating wound healing.

Keywords: tissue regeneration scaffolds, Spatiotemporal dynamic regulation, Stimuli-responsive materials, Nerve tissue regeneration, Skin regeneration

References

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Jiajia Xue, Ph.D., is a Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at Beijing University of Chemical Technology. Her research focuses on biomedical materials for tissue regeneration and implantable/interventional medical devices. She has conducted systematic research on scaffold materials for tissue regeneration and repair, as well as implantable/interventional medical devices, and has established biomimetic three-dimensional nanofiber–hydrogel composite scaffold systems. By integrating external physical stimuli such as photothermal stimulation, she has achieved spatiotemporal dynamic regulation of the tissue-regenerative microenvironment and cellular behaviors, promoting the regeneration and repair of multiple tissues, including nerve, bone, and skin. She has also elucidated the mechanisms by which material structures, biological signals, and physical stimuli synergistically regulate tissue regeneration. She has published more than 110 SCI-indexed papers in journals including Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, Science Advances, Advanced Materials, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, Chemical Reviews, Progress in Materials Science, and Chemical Society Reviews. Her work has been cited more than 13,900 times, with an H-index of 52, and includes three ESI Highly Cited Papers. She currently serves as Associate Editor of Exploration, Editorial Board Member of Brain-X, and Young Editorial Board Member of Fundamental Research, Advanced Fiber Materials, and Nano-Micro Letters.