Biomaterials


They can also


make widely used eye drops


more effective and long- lasting (because of how they thicken on contact with calcium in the eye), and their easy malleability makes alginate gels useful when forming dental implants. Wound dressings are perhaps where they are most widely used, because of how they provide a moist, healing environment – not surprising that there is a raft of market options here.


Scaffolding healing


Alginates can also act as a scaffolding material – providing a temporary environment (a kind of false cell of tissue structure) for the proliferation of healthy cells in a defective tissue area – which is crucial in the rapidly emerging field of regenerative medicine. An area of medicine centred on developing tools that can repair or replace damaged or diseased human cells and tissues to restore normal function. The stakes are high here. Regenerative medicine is expected to play a major role in addressing chronic conditions including genetic disorders, certain cancers, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Allied Market Research estimated the global regenerative medicine market at about $32.1bn in 2023, projected to reach around $531.7bn by 2033.


Although synthetic scaffolds are considered for scaffolding, natural polymers, such as alginates, are attractive due to their similarities with natural cell structures, as well as their versatility and in vitro performance. Furthermore, manufacturing processes that have long been used, such as preparing alginates as hydrogels, also have a role to play in regenerative medicine. In short: alginates are easy to process into the materials (hydrogels, foams, and fibres) that are used in tissue and bone repairs. That’s not to say this is a straightforward area. Positively, a 2021 Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences


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