Disclosed herein are compositions comprising containers and silk elements. Disclosed herein are methods of regenerating an at least partially severed nerve cell. Disclosed herein are compositions for regenerating an at least partially severed nerve cell.

Various aspects described herein relate to compositions comprising silk fibroin particles and methods of using the same, as well as devices and methods of delivering such compositions. The compositions described herein are suitable for injection into a site of defect in a soft tissue to provide bulking and/or augmentation effect to the soft tissue.

Gamma ray and e-beam irradiation provided efficient sterilization of certain self-assembling peptides (including RADA16 in solution) without substantial degradation of the major peptide, while, e.g., another self-assembly peptide, QLEL12 was significantly degraded following irradiation. Irradiation sterilization enhances the rheological property of, for example, RADA16 hydrogel once applied to tissue at a physiological pH. The rheological property increase can result in higher efficacy in a variety of biomedical applications.

Provided are a composition for cell transplant and a method for cell transplant, both of which enable a myocardial tissue to favorably retain cardiac myocytes and/or cardiac progenitors and can improve the persistence and proliferation of transplanted cells. The composition for cell transplant of the present invention is a composition for cell transplant, containing cells and an aqueous solution containing a protein (A), the cells including a cardiac myocyte and/or a cardiac progenitor, the protein (A) having a degree of hydrophobicity of 0.2 to 1.2, the protein (A) containing a polypeptide chain (Y) and/or a polypeptide chain (Y′), the protein (A) containing 1 to 100 polypeptide chains as a total of the polypeptide chain (Y) and the polypeptide chain (Y′), the polypeptide chain (Y) being a polypeptide chain having 2 to 100 continuous amino acid sequences (X), the amino acid sequence (X) having any one of a VPGVG sequence (1) corresponding to an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, a GVGVP sequence (2) corresponding to an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2, a GPP sequence, a GAP sequence, and a GAHGPAGPK sequence (3) corresponding to an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 3, the polypeptide chain (Y′) being a polypeptide chain having a structure in which 0.1 to 5% amino acid residues in the polypeptide chain (Y) are replaced by a lysine residue and/or an arginine residue and including 1 to 100 residues as a total of the lysine residue and the arginine residue.

A silk fibroin nerve graft fused with NT3 and a preparation method therefor is provided. The method includes the steps of: synthesizing a gene fragment containing a silk fibroin light chain and NT-3, connecting the fragment to a pET-30 expression vector, and transferring the obtained recombinant expression vector into BL21 Escherichia coli to obtain a fusion protein; placing a silk fibroin fiber web in a mold, mixing the fusion protein and a silk fibroin solution, and performing freeze drying to enable the silk fibroin to be crosslinked with the fusion protein to form a nerve conduit; and after deformation processing, finally obtaining a silk fibroin nerve graft having NT-3 activity. The silk fibroin nerve graft can provide a mechanical support, exert nerve protection and nerve regeneration promotion functions in a long term, and adjust the proportion of NT-3 bioactive peptides in the nerve conduit, facilitating repair of nerve injuries.

A polypeptide monolayer with a high surface potential and hydrophobicity, and a preparation method and application thereof. The polypeptide is composed of polypeptide molecules with a molecular weight of (1.48±0.2)×10.sup.5 g/mol, a thickness of the monolayer is 17.3-18.5 nm, the exposure of primary amino groups on the surface of the monolayer is 11-11.8%, a Zeta potential of the polypeptide monolayer is (-3)-(-2) mV, and a contact angle of the monolayer is 84±1°. A micro-nano structure on the surface of the polypeptide monolayer allows the polypeptide monolayer to have certain hydrophobicity, which is beneficial to water proofing of the surface of biomimetic skin. Furthermore, the surface of the polypeptide monolayer has a relatively high potential, which can improve biocompatibility, hemocompatibility, and cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation abilities.

Various aspects described herein relate to compositions comprising silk fibroin particles and methods of using the same, as well as devices and methods of delivering such compositions. The compositions described herein are suitable for injection into a site of defect in a soft tissue to provide bulking and/or augmentation effect to the soft tissue.

An autologous bone graft substitute composition for inducing new bone formation, promoting bone growth and treating bone defects. The composition includes autologous blood; one or more analogs of an osteogenic bone morphogenetic protein selected from BMP-6, BMP-2, BMP-7, BMP-4, BMP-5, BMP-8, BMP-9, BMP-12, and BMP-13, and combinations thereof in a range of from 2 to 1000 μg per ml of autologous blood; and hydroxyapatite, tri-calcium phosphate, or a mixture thereof as a compression resistant matrix, the compression resistant matrix being provided in the form of particles having a particle size in a range of from above 74 to 8000 μm. Preferably, a ratio between the compression resistant matrix and the autologous blood coagulum is from 50 to 500 mg of the compression resistant matrix per mL of the autologous blood coagulum.

A microporous gel system for certain applications, including biomedical applications, includes an aqueous solution containing plurality of microgel particles including a biodegradable crosslinker. In some aspects, the microgel particles act as gel building blocks that anneal to one another to form a covalently-stabilized scaffold of microgel particles having interstitial spaces therein. In certain aspects, annealing of the microgel particles occurs after exposure to an annealing agent that is endogenously present or exogenously added. In some embodiments, annealing of the microgel particles requires the presence of an initiator such as exposure to light. In particular embodiments, the chemical and physical properties of the gel building blocks can be controlled to allow downstream control of the resulting assembled scaffold. In one or more embodiments, cells are able to quickly infiltrate the interstitial spaces of the assembled scaffold.

Compositions comprising at least one major ampullate spidroin protein (MaSp)-based fiber, a polymer bound to the MaSp-based fiber, and optionally a further polymer having a molecular weight in the range of 1000 Da to 1000 kDa, are provided. Further, methods for preparation of same are provided.