Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42548025›Full record

ArticleAdvanced healthcare materials2026

Mechanically Compliant, Precision-Porous Brain Implants Reduce the Foreign Body Reaction and Guide Regeneration.

Ian Dryg, Le Zhen, Rebecca Darrow, Savannah Lawton, Lars Crawford, Robert Robinson, Steve Perlmutter, James D Bryers, Buddy D Ratner

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Advanced healthcare materials, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Ian DrygDepartment of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6173-2000
Le ZhenDepartment of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0807-8924
Rebecca DarrowDepartment of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
Savannah LawtonDepartment of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0002-1964-0561
Lars CrawfordDepartment of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
Robert RobinsonDepartment of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
Steve PerlmutterDepartment of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1149-4152
James D BryersDepartment of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3332-3271
Buddy D RatnerDepartment of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5233-2216

Funding

University of Washington Engineered Biomaterials (UWEB) Engineering Research CenterUniversity of Washington Institute of Translational Health Sciences Collaboration Innovation Awards.
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Central nervous system (CNS) diseases and injuries might be treated by implanted devices, tissue regenerative scaffolds, or drug delivery platforms. However, inflammatory CNS responses limit these interventions and may worsen outcomes following damage to the CNS. Via the foreign body reaction, macrophages and glial cells trigger a "glial scar" around implants, reducing device performance, scaffold regenerative ability, or drug delivery potential. Previous studies have shown that stiffness of CNS implants significantly affects glial encapsulation, but few studies have investigated materials that truly match brain tissue stiffness. Porous precision-templated scaffolds with uniform, interconnected, 40 µm spherical pores have shown favorable healing outcomes and a reduced foreign body reaction (FBR) in numerous soft and hard tissue applications. To quantify the effects of both hydrogel compliance (stiffness) and pore size on glial encapsulation, we implanted poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-co-glycerol methacrylate) (pHEMA/GMA) scaffolds of varying stiffness and pore size for 4 weeks in rat brain. We observed reduced astrocyte encapsulation around porous templated scaffolds (PTS) compared to solid hydrogel rods, reduced pro-inflammatory macrophage polarization for softer hydrogels versus stiffer hydrogels, and the presence of new blood vessels, neuronal markers, and neurogenesis within the pores. Utilizing soft, precision-porous hydrogels could provide a strategy for mitigating glial scarring and improving regeneration in implant-based CNS treatments.

Indexed as

BrainForeign-Body ReactionGuided Tissue RegenerationTissue ScaffoldsAnimalsAstrocytesHydrogelsMacrophagesMalePorosityRatsRats, Sprague-DawleyHydrogelsbiomaterialsforeign body reactionglial cellshydrogelsneural interfacestissue regeneration

Identifiers

PMID42548025
PMCPMC13542963

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.