KIST to Develop Metallic Implant for Tissue Regeneration

VesselKorean researchers developed a new metallic material that can induce angiogenesis and promote tissue regeneration. A team led by Dr. Ok Myeong-ryeol at the Biomedical Research Institute of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) announced on Oct. 28 that they developed the new metallic material by giving a current medical metallic material simple treatments.

Medical metallic materials for medical use such as titanium or cobalt chrome alloy are generally covered with nano-meter-thick or thicker oxide films to prevent their corrosion in human bodies.

The research team developed the new technology out of the idea that the oxide film can produce oxygen free radicals known to promote the creation of angiogenesis in a suitable low concentration through photocatalytic reactions or electrochemical catalytic reactions.

The researchers produced a battery-like structure by utilizing magnesium, a main element of metals that melt in human bodies. Electrons generated by corrosion reactions of magnesium spread on the surface of a medical metallic material and generate oxygen free radicals by reducing oxygen on the oxide film surface.