Researchers Turn Sheep Wool Into Biomaterial That Supports Bone Regeneration - Video

What if the next big breakthrough in bone repair comes from something as ordinary as sheep's wool?

Scientists at King's College London have developed a promising bone-repair material made from keratin, a structural protein extracted from wool. In animal experiments, the material helped damaged bone regenerate with a more natural organization and structure, raising hopes for a sustainable alternative to conventional bone-repair scaffolds.

Researchers created membranes from wool-derived keratin and chemically treated them to make the material more stable and durable. In laboratory experiments, human bone cells grew well on the keratin scaffolds and showed signs of healthy bone formation. The team then tested the material in rats with skull defects too large to heal naturally. Over several weeks, the keratin membranes supported new bone growth across the damaged areas.

Collagen is widely used as a scaffold in regenerative medicine because it provides a framework that allows new tissue to grow. However, collagen can be relatively weak and may break down too quickly for some applications. In the animal study, collagen produced a greater amount of new bone. But bone formed with keratin was more organized, with better-aligned fibers that more closely resembled the structure of healthy natural bone. The keratin membranes also remained stable during healing and integrated well with surrounding tissue.

The discovery could have an environmental advantage too. Wool is renewable and can sometimes be discarded as agricultural waste, potentially providing a scalable source of keratin. The researchers say the findings position keratin as a potential new class of regenerative biomaterial that could eventually reduce reliance on collagen.

However, the technology has so far been tested in animals, meaning human clinical studies are still needed before wool-derived bone scaffolds could become a medical treatment.

If future research confirms its safety and effectiveness, something as humble as sheep’s wool could one day help rebuild damaged human bones.

REFERENCE: "Scientists turn sheep’s wool into a material that helps regrow bone."; King's College London; https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/scientists-turn-wool-into-sustainable-material-for-bone-repair