{
  "id": 14818608,
  "title": "Moldable gel controls bleeding and supports bone repair in preclinical tests",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/moldable-gel-controls-bleeding-and-supports-bone-repair-in",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-15T23:20:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Medical Xpress",
    "slug": "medical-xpress",
    "url": "https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-moldable-gel-bone-preclinical.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A team of researchers from the University of Hong Kong and Brigham and Women's Hospital have developed a shape-adaptive hydrogel called iHEÄLS that can control bleeding and support bone repair in preclinical tests. This innovative biomaterial, inspired by the malleability of Play-Doh, can be molded to fit complex anatomical defects while providing rapid hemostasis, strong tissue adhesion, self-healing capability, and mechanical resilience. The HKU research team, led by Sang Jin Lee, collaborated with a group from Harvard led by Shin to engineer the hydrogel platform and explore its potential clinical applications. The hydrogel's triple-network architecture, consisting of polyvinyl alcohol, gelatin, and cellulose nanocrystals, allows it to adapt to irregular defects and create a supportive environment for tissue repair. In vivo studies showed that iHEÄLS rapidly achieved hemostasis on bleeding bone surfaces and closely followed irregular calvarial defects, which is crucial in severe trauma scenarios where conventional bone grafting and fixation can be challenging. The researchers believe that iHEÄLS could be used in severe facial trauma, comminuted craniomaxillofacial fractures, and other situations where conventional methods are difficult to apply. However, further studies are needed to establish its safety, efficacy, and regulatory suitability before clinical use.",
  "summary": "A research team from the Faculty of Dentistry at The University of Hong Kong (HKU), working in collaboration with Su Ryon Shin's group at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, has advanced and preclinically validated a shape-adaptive hydrogel designed for challenging clinical trauma scenarios involving severe bleeding, irregular bone defects and comminuted fractures.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}