Science and Technology Daily News (Reporter Zhang Jiaxin) According to a paper published in the latest issue of Nature, researchers from the Korea Institute of Basic Science have made significant progress in biomaterial technology and rehabilitation medicine. They developed a new method to treat muscle injuries with "injectable tissue prosthesis" in the form of conductive hydrogel, and combined it with robot assisted rehabilitation system. This has brought a new approach to the field of bioelectronic devices and is expected to serve as a soft tissue prosthesis for rehabilitation support. For a long time, traditional rehabilitation methods for muscle injuries have revolved around an efficient closed-loop gait rehabilitation system that integrates lightweight exoskeletons and wearable or implantable devices. However, the mechanical properties and rigidity of existing electronic materials make them incompatible with soft tissues, which can lead to friction and potential inflammation, hindering patient recovery. To overcome these limitations, researchers turned to hyaluronic acid, which is commonly used as a wrinkle smoothing filler. Using this material, they developed an injectable hydrogel used as a "tissue prosthesis", which can temporarily fill the missing tissue gap when muscle or nerve tissue regenerates. The injectability of this material gives it significant advantages over traditional bioelectronic devices. Due to the highly "tissue like" characteristics of this hydrogel, it can be seamlessly combined with biological tissues, and can be easily applied to inaccessible body parts without invasive surgery. The reversible and irreversible crosslinking in the hydrogel can adapt to the high shear stress during the injection process, ensuring excellent mechanical stability. The hydrogel also contains gold nanoparticles, which makes it have good electrical properties. Its conductive properties allow for effective transmission of electrophysiological signals between the two ends of the damaged tissue. In addition, the hydrogel is biodegradable. Researchers conducted tests in rodent models. To simulate muscle loss and injury, they removed a large piece of muscle from the animal's hind leg. Researchers can improve the gait of "injured" animals by injecting hydrogels and implanting two kinds of retractable tissue interface devices for electrical induction and stimulation. Guided by the muscle electrical signal, the hydrogel prosthesis combined with robot assistance helped to improve the gait of animals without nerve stimulation. In addition, after using conductive hydrogel to fill muscle injury, muscle tissue regeneration has been effectively improved for a long time. (New News Agency)