Materials Science and New Horizons Ahead for Health Challenges
Materials engineering, as one of the core engineering disciplines, today encompasses a wide range of materials, including metals, ceramics, polymers, semiconductors, magnetic materials, photonic materials, and biological materials
MSTF media reports:
This modern engineering field has entered various domains, including biology, and has become a significant and practical area that plays a crucial role in improving the quality of human life.
Materials engineering in biology, or biomaterials, is an interdisciplinary field that studies and applies materials in biological systems, including the human body. This discipline focuses on designing, producing, and evaluating new materials that are effective for use in medicine and patient treatment.
Given the importance of this field in biology and biomedicine, researchers and scientists are conducting studies and research to utilize materials to bring about significant advancements in the treatment of diseases and human health.
One of the institutes that has achieved remarkable innovations and accomplishments in this field is the Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation (TIBI), which shone brightly at the 2025 Spring Meeting of the Materials Research Society (MRS) and won an award.
Accordingly, the Mid-Career Researcher Award of this meeting was presented to Ali Khademhosseini, the Iranian director of TIBI.
This scientific award is given to mid-career researchers who have made significant scientific innovations in the field of materials engineering and have demonstrated strong scientific leadership.
This researcher’s studies have opened new frontiers in biomaterials and tissue engineering. His achievements include the development of “nanocomposite hydrogels,” the creation of “organ-on-a-chip” systems for personalized medicine, and “microfabrication methods” for producing miniaturized tissues with functions closely resembling human organs.
Regarding the award, Ali Khademhosseini said: “This honor is the result of the collective efforts of great researchers who have accompanied me on the path of science. At TIBI, we are determined to leverage materials science to provide solutions for fundamental health challenges.”
Hydrogels: Smart Macromolecules in Service of Modern Medicine
In the emerging world of biotechnology, materials have emerged that go beyond mere chemical compounds, playing intelligent roles in disease treatment. One of these remarkable innovations is hydrogels—three-dimensional macromolecules capable of absorbing and retaining large amounts of water within their structure without losing molecular integrity. Hydrogels have garnered attention not only for their physical properties, such as softness, flexibility, and biocompatibility with the body’s environment, but also, and particularly, for their responsiveness to environmental stimuli such as pH, temperature, enzymes, or light, securing a distinguished place in biomedicine. These characteristics make them ideal platforms for targeted drug delivery and bioprinting.
Environmental Intelligence Within a Macromolecule
What distinguishes hydrogels from other materials is their ability to respond purposefully to specific environmental conditions. For instance, pH-sensitive hydrogels can react in acidic or basic environments, swelling or contracting their structure to release drugs at the right time and place. In another example, temperature-responsive hydrogels remain stable at the body’s physiological temperature but alter their structure in the presence of inflammation or fever, triggering drug release. Additionally, hydrogels have been designed to activate only in the presence of specific enzymes found in diseased tissues. This property is vital for targeted treatments of conditions like cancer or infections, as the therapeutic agent is activated only in the presence of affected cells, leaving healthy tissues unharmed.
A Bridge Between Engineering and Biology
As mentioned, hydrogels are gel-like materials capable of absorbing and retaining large amounts of water. In recent years, beyond their use in the pharmaceutical industry, they have also gained attention as bioinks in 3D bioprinting. Due to their structural similarity to the extracellular matrix (ECM) and high biocompatibility with cells, these bioinks enable the creation of complex tissues and organs.
In bioprinting, hydrogels serve as scaffolds that hold cells in place and provide a suitable environment for their growth and differentiation. Commonly used hydrogels include alginate, gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA), and hyaluronic acid. These materials are utilized in constructing various tissues such as cartilage, bone, skin, and blood vessels due to their biocompatibility, tunable mechanical properties, and ability to support different cell types.
One of the major challenges in creating biological organs is developing efficient vascular networks to deliver nutrients and oxygen to cells. Recent advancements in designing and printing artificial vascular networks using hydrogels have enabled the creation of larger and more complex tissues. An example is the use of advanced algorithms for rapid design of vascular networks combined with 3D printing, which has made it possible to produce vascular structures on an organ scale.
Bioprinting with hydrogels is also applied in various fields, including regenerative medicine, disease modeling, drug testing, and even the creation of artificial organs for transplantation. For instance, in recent years, researchers, including Ali Khademhosseini, have successfully printed structures such as ears, livers, and kidneys using patient cells and hydrogels, which could serve as viable alternatives to traditional transplants in the future.
A Revolution in Drug Toxicity Assessment
In today’s world of modern medicine, simulating the human body’s response to drugs without relying on animal models has become a major concern for researchers. This is due to fundamental differences between human and animal physiology, which lead to uncertain results from animal models. Consequently, designing and developing human-based models in laboratory settings for more accurate evaluation of drug effects has gained significant importance. Among these, the liver, as a vital organ responsible for metabolizing many pharmaceutical compounds, holds a special place.
As previously mentioned, one of the emerging technologies playing a key role in this endeavor is bioprinting. This technology operates similarly to 3D printers but uses living cells and biocompatible scaffolds to support them instead of industrial materials. Among the most important hydrogels widely used in bioprinting is gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA), a material with high biocompatibility, the ability to solidify under light exposure, and the capacity to support cells within its structure. The development of this valuable hydrogel is the result of research conducted by Ali Khademhosseini, a renowned scientist in the fields of tissue engineering and biotechnology. Today, GelMA is one of the most critical bioinks in creating artificial organs, particularly the liver.
In a novel study, a group of scientists, building on this achievement, successfully developed a small-scale model of an artificial liver on a platform known as a "Liver-on-a-Chip." In this study, the human HepG2/C3A cell line was used, organized into three-dimensional spheroids—spherical clusters of cells. These spheroids were embedded within GelMA hydrogel and precisely printed into an engineered bioreactor using a bioprinter. The bioreactor provided conditions mimicking a living environment, ensuring the survival and proper function of the liver tissue for up to 30 days. During this period, the performance of the artificial tissue was evaluated by measuring the secretion of liver markers such as albumin, transferrin, alpha-1 antitrypsin, and ceruloplasmin. Additionally, the presence of key liver proteins, such as MRP2 and ZO-1, was accurately confirmed using immunohistochemistry staining methods. Notably, when exposed to a toxic dose of acetaminophen (paracetamol), this liver model exhibited responses similar to those of a natural human liver and animal models. This finding demonstrates the model’s effectiveness in assessing drug toxicity, establishing it as a valuable alternative to animal models.
The Significance of This Technology in the Medical Landscape
The ability to recreate a living model of the human liver using bioprinting technology and hydrogels like GelMA could bring about a profound transformation in the future of medical science. Among the potential benefits of this technology is the creation of a platform for evaluating the safety and efficacy of drugs before they enter clinical trials and reach the market, eliminating the need for laboratory animals. Additionally, the possibility of constructing complete human organs such as the liver, kidney, or even heart in the near future could address the critical issue of organ shortages for transplantation. Furthermore, this technology enables the development of personalized models tailored to each patient’s characteristics, ultimately leading to the design of more targeted and effective treatments.
Hydrogels like GelMA, developed through the efforts of scientists such as Ali Khademhosseini, have provided a biomimetic environment for cell growth and differentiation, paving the way for significant advancements in bioprinting, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. Projects like the "Liver-on-a-Chip" demonstrate that what was once considered a dream is now on the verge of becoming reality. Undoubtedly, the contributions of pioneering thinkers in this field will leave a lasting legacy in the history of science.
Khademhosseini had previously been awarded the Mustafa(pbuh) Prize in 2019 for his work on “Nano- and Micro-fabricated Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications.”
