The present invention is directed to tissue substitute materials and uses thereof useful for the treatment of wound, skin wounds and in particular chronic ulcers. The invention further relates to methods of preparation of those tissue substitute materials.

The invention concerns a bone graft material for use in a spinal fusion method, wherein the material comprises i) a composition for forming a matrix, comprising at least a first matrix material precursor component and a second matrix material precursor component, capable of forming a matrix by crosslinking of the precursor components under appropriate conditions; and ii) a bioactive factor, which is biologically active to stimulate bone formation between two vertebrae, and for effecting or supporting spinal fusion; wherein the spinal fusion method comprises the steps of applying a cage in between the two vertebrae, which is not pre-filled with the bone graft material; and subsequently applying the bone graft material adjacent to and/or into the cage, such that essentially the entire remaining volume between the two vertebrae is filled with the bone graft material. The invention allows for ease of use while forming a more homogeneous matrix.

A three-dimensional hydrogel scaffold of the present invention contains a cell to be transplanted in vivo and comprises a first hydrogel block on which a plurality of holes are formed and one or more second hydrogel blocks which are assembled to the holes and are biodegradable. A large hydrogel scaffold can be prepared by means of the assembly of the blocks. The survivability of the cell being transplanted is high and the biodegradability of the blocks varies, and thus the risk of hypoxia is reduced.

A tissue engineering material for nerve injury repair, a preparation method therefor and an application thereof. The tissue engineering material for nerve injury repair is an N-cadherin crosslinked linear ordered collagen scaffold. By crosslinking N-cadherin with a linear ordered collagen scaffold, the prepared tissue engineering material can efficiently induce migration of neural stem cells towards an injury region so that the neural stem cells are enriched in the injury region, and can effectively inhibit deposition of inhibitory factors such as chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan, promote differentiation of the neural stem cells into neurons, and then promote recovery of electrophysiological and motion functions. The N-cadherin crosslinked linear ordered collagen scaffold also has a stable ordered topological structure and excellent mechanical properties, and can be used to repair nerve injuries such as spinal cord injury.

Disclosed herein is a composite material and a skin test platform material in a form of a membrane, comprising silk fibroin and a crosslinking agent, wherein from 4.7 to 14 wt % of the total dry weight of the material is derived from the crosslinking agent. In one embodiment, the crosslinking agent is polyethylene glycol) diglycidyl ether. The membrane has a surface that may be shaped to mimic human skin structures. Also disclosed herein are methods of forming a composite material, a skin test platform material, and determining a property of a test composition such as an anti-bacterial cleansing composition, a skin care product and a perfume.

The present invention concerns a polyelectrolyte coating comprising at least one polycationic layer consisting of at least one polycation consisting of n repetitive units having the formula (1) and at least one polyanionic layer consisting of hyaluronic acid. The polyelectrolyte coating has a biocidal activity and the invention thus further refers to the use of said polyelectrolyte coating for producing a device, in particular a bacteriostatic medical device, more particularly an implantable device, comprising said polyelectrolyte coating, and a method for preparing said device and a kit.

The present invention concerns a polyelectrolyte coating comprising at least one polycationic layer consisting of at least one polycation consisting of n repetitive units having the formula (1) and at least one polyanionic layer consisting of hyaluronic acid. The polyelectrolyte coating has a biocidal activity and the invention thus further refers to the use of said polyelectrolyte coating for producing a device, in particular a bacteriostatic medical device, more particularly an implantable device, comprising said polyelectrolyte coating, and a method for preparing said device and a kit.

The present disclosure relates to a three-dimensional, degradable medical implant for regeneration of soft tissue comprising a plurality of volume-building components and a mesh component which is substantially made of monofilament or multifilament fibers, wherein each volume-building component is attached to at least one point on a surface of the mesh component, and wherein the projected surface area of each volume-building component, when projected on the surface of the mesh component, corresponds to a maximum of one tenth of the surface area of the mesh component.

Provided is a method for producing a three-dimensional tissue having a vascular system structure, said method comprising: (a) a step for forming a vascular system structure template using a gel; (b) a step for forming a three-dimensional tissue in the vicinity of the template; (c) a step for dissolving the template using a cationic solution; and (d) a step for seeding vascular endothelial cells and/or lymphatic vessel endothelial cells in a void remaining after the dissolution of the template. Also provided is a method for producing a three-dimensional tissue having a vascular system structure, said method comprising: (i) a step for forming a vascular system structure template using a gel; (ii) a step for seeding vascular endothelial cells and/or lymphatic vessel endothelial cells on the template; (iii) a step for forming a three-dimensional tissue in the vicinity of the cells seeded above; and (iv) a step for dissolving the template using a cationic solution. Also provided is a three-dimensional tissue comprising a gel which has a vascular system structure.

The present invention relates to peptides capable of forming a gel and to their use in tissue engineering and bioprinting. The present invention furthermore relates to a gel comprising a peptide in accordance with the present invention, to a method of preparing such gel and to the use of such gel. In one embodiment, such gel is a hydrogel. The present invention furthermore relates to a wound dressing or wound healing agent comprising a gel according to the present invention and to a surgical implant or stent comprising a peptide scaffold formed by a gel according to the present invention. Moreover, the present invention also relates to a pharmaceutical and/or cosmetic composition, to a biomedical device or an electronic device comprising the peptide according to the present invention.