Biomaterials Discovery paper published in Advanced Science

A new article titled by the Biomaterials Discovery group titled "Spatially Resolved Molecular Analysis of Host Response to Medical Device Implantation Using the 3D OrbiSIMS Highlights a Critical Role for Lipids" has been published in Advanced Science. The work, led by Waraporn Suvannapruk and supervised by Morgan Alexander and Amir Ghaemmaghami, investigated two novel immune-instructive polymers that stimulate pro- or anti-inflammatory responses from macrophages in vitro, and also modulate in vivo foreign body responses (FBR) by using immunofluorescent staining and Three Dimensional OrbiTrap Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (3D OrbiSIMS).

This research was able to confirm the pro- or anti-inflammatory responses previously described for these polymers, but also provided molecular histology insight into the metabolite response in the host. Specifically, the group described an increase in the monoacylglycerols (MG) and diacylglycerols (DG) in the tissue surrounding the implant containing the pro-inflammatory polymer, while a decrease in the number of phospholipid species and high levels of pyridine and pyrimidine were observed for the anti-inflammatory coating. Additionally, these in vivo observations were found to correlate with the small molecule signatures obtained from single-cell studies of M2 macrophages in vitro, suggesting a potential for prediction.

As one of the main requirements for implanted medical devices is that they do not elicit a detrimental immune response, this study highlighted how metabolite characterization by the 3D OrbiSIMS can offer insight into the mechanism of bio-instructive materials as medical devices and inform on the FBR to biomaterials.