Natural Scaffolds highlights the most interesting published and peer-reviewed research using natural polymers in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering.
Materials from plant and animal sources are compatible in a wide range of medical applications. All synthetic materials either attempt to mimic natural materials or attempt to be completely inert. The inherent compatibility, and often bioactivity, of natural materials like chitosan, collagen, cellulose, and silk provide a platform for healing that is difficult to mimic.
The research being done with these materials is often hidden behind the paywall of academic journals. I scan through research in over 30 biomedical journals, making a list of published articles where natural materials are the primary or enabling technology.
The Natural Scaffolds blog will help you learn about the latest natural polymer research in an understandable way that doesn’t insult your intelligence.
I’m Joshua Bush. Since 2001, I’ve been involved in biomedical research, developing new applications for polymers in drug delivery and regenerative medicine. I have a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University, as well as a Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Chemical Engineering from North Carolina State University.
In 2006, I began work in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Virginia developing hydrogels for delivery of therapeutic peptides and proteins to bone injuries. While there, I developed injectable, thermally-responsive hydrogels based the natural polymers chitosan and hemicellulose. My publications can be viewed in my Google Scholar profile.
Let me know if I’m meeting the goal of presenting this research in an understandable way or if you have any questions about what you read. Contact me directly at email hidden; JavaScript is required.
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