Supramolecular biomimetic and electroconductive hydrogels: heterochiral tripeptides and branched carbon nanotubes join forces to repair heart

Cardiovascular diseases, including ischemic heart disease, are the leading cause of death in Europe. Cardiac tissue that has been lost by injury cannot be naturally regenerated, which leads to heart failure.

To help repair heart, biomaterials-driven approaches, especially hydrogels in combination with carbon nanotubes (CNTs), are among the most promising strategies.

However, existing CNT- based hydrogels provide a simplistic reflection of structural and functional features of the native cardiac tissue.

A solution lies in mimicking the native tissue from multiple angles: bioadhesion, viscoelasticity, mechanical properties, electroconductivity, 3D supramolecular and hierarchically ordered fibrous structure.SupraBioElectris aims to develop novel supramolecular biomimetic and electroconductive nanocomposite hydrogels by exploiting the concept of branching, widely occurring in nature.

The key players in this project are thus branched CNTs and supramolecular, biomimetic short peptides-based hydrogels.

The union of these contrasting components constitutes an innovative approach, making use of their strengths to reach the required multi-faceted biomimicry.

The hypothesis is that the combination of these components will create smart and multifunctional biomaterials, able to boost and support electrical activity of cardiomyocytes and thus aid in heart repair.

Furthermore, advanced, state-of-the-art material characterization tools will be used to study nanocomposites with nanoscale spatial resolution, ensuring optimal material design and function.SupraBioElectris project therefore addresses one of the major health challenges and will highlight the importance of using supramolecular structures in the design of biomimetic materials.

The project is highly interdisciplinary and international.

It will also shape the researcher into a leading expert in hydrogels, by expanding his existing expertise via tailored training and acquisition of new skills.