In October 2021, Professor Han Bing's team achieved a milestone in their research on drug delivery systems and bone tissue engineering (BTE). An original research article entitled "Facile fabrication of a biocompatible composite gel with sustained release of aspirin for bone regeneration" was published in Bioactive Materials. This work is supported by the National Key R&D Program of China and National Natural Science Foundation of China. Dr. Zhang Yunfan, funded by a Boya Postdoctoral Fellowship, is the first author of this article. Prof. Han Bing from the Department of Orthodontics is the corresponding lead author.

Fig.1 Prof. Han's Research Team

Bone defects are commonly encountered in clinical practice, and is a public health concern worldwide. Hydrogels are extracellular-matrix-like biomimetic materials that have widespread biomedical applications in tissue engineering and drug delivery. However, most hydrogels cannot simultaneously fulfill mechanical and cell compatibility requirements. To address this issue, this article developed a facile fabrication technique for synthesizing a semi-interpenetrating network hydrogel with aspirin loading, which achieved good biocompatibility, satisfactory physicochemical and mechanical properties, as well as displayed sustained release of anti-inflammatory drugs within bone defect areas. Under continuous osteo-immunomodulation, efficient bone regeneration was achieved.

Fig. 2 Schematic illustration of the fabrication procedures of hydrogel biomaterial for delivery of aspirin to enhance mice calvaria bone defect regeneration. 

Prof. Han Bing's research team is dedicated to exploring cellular responses towards biomaterials, and developing new strategies for bone tissue engineering.