Novel nanocomposite biomaterial to differentiate bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells to the osteogenic lineage for bone restoration.

Background/objective: As the bone engineering field moves away from nonviable implants to more biocompatible and natural structures, nanomedicine has emerged as a superior tool for developing implantable materials.

Methods: Here, we describe the fabrication and testing of a nanocomposite structure composed of chitosan and a biocompatible thermoplastic (PMMA).

Results: Our nanocomposite material displayed morphologically similar characteristics to an extracted murine femur during microscopic and spectroscopic analysis as seen through SEM and FTIR.

Thymosin β4 coated nanofiber scaffolds for the repair of damaged cardiac tissue.

After a cardiac event, proper treatment and care of the damaged tissue is crucial in restoring optimal cardiac function and preventing future cardiac events. Recently, thymosin β4 has been found to play a vital role in cardiac cell health and development by regulating angiogenesis, inflammatory responses, and wound healing. We proposed that defined poly(ϵ-caprolactone) (PCL) nanoscaffolds coated with thymosin β4 could efficiently differentiate murine-derived cardiomyocytes into functioning cardiac tissue.