Recovering the brain after injury is a task with an asterisk: you need to simultaneously reduce inflammation, protect surviving neurons, and make stem cells turn into full-fledged nervous tissue. We found a way to do this all at once - with a single composite implant.

Introducing a new paper in the Journal of Materials Chemistry B (IF 5.7): in joint research with colleagues from China, we combined wireless magnetoelectric stimulation and the neuroprotective drug metformin in a single hydrogel platform. The result - reduced inflammation, growth of new neurons, and restoration of cognitive functions after TBI.

What was done?

🧪 Our familiar magnetoelectric core-shell nanoparticles MFO@BCZT with a high ME coefficient are hidden inside a biomimetic hydrogel.

🧬 The hydrogel matrix is collagen and oxidized hyaluronic acid with added metformin. This is not just a filler, but an active component: metformin suppresses inflammation by inhibiting M1 polarization of microglia, and protects healthy cells.

⚡️ Under a pulsed magnetic field, the nanoparticles generate local electrical signals right in the injury zone - no wires needed.

The main breakthrough is a synergy that did not exist before
Previously, magnetoelectric stimulation for axon growth and anti-inflammatory therapy were used separately. We showed that their combination works many times more effectively:

🔹 Metformin in the hydrogel "switches off" the pro-inflammatory activation of microglia caused by LPS - this is neuroprotection.
🔹 MFO@BCZT under a magnetic field triggers neuronal differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs) - this is neuroinduction.
🔹 Without the nanoparticles, the magnetic field alone does not trigger the transformation of stem cells into neurons - a key point.

What did this give in vivo?

In a rat model of traumatic brain injury, the developed system:
✔️ Reduced neuroinflammation.
✔️ Attracted the body's own NSCs to the injury zone and guided them along the neuronal pathway.
✔️ Provided axon regeneration, remyelination, and synapse restoration.
✔️ Improved cognitive functions - the animals recovered spatial orientation and memory.

Why does this matter?

For the first time, we combined ME stimulation and drug-based neuroprotection in a single injectable or implantable hydrogel. It simultaneously serves as a mechanical support, a depot for nanoparticles and metformin, and most importantly, it creates exactly the bioelectric environment that the injured brain needs for recovery. This is a step toward smart biomaterials that do not wait for the body to cope on its own, but actively and comprehensively manage it.

The study was supported by an RSF grant (project No. 24-43-00171) and carried out jointly with Sichuan University, the Boreskov Institute of Catalysis SB RAS, Skoltech, LIFT, and TSU.

The full text of the paper can be found here: https://pubs.rsc.org/tb/article-abstract/14/24/7630/1240896/

Imagine an implant that doesn't just fill a bone defect, but remotely, without wires or batteries, recreates the natural electrical signals of living tissue, so that nerves and vessels grow around it and stem cells rush toward it.

Science fiction that became reality in our new work!

Presenting a paper in ACS Nano (IF 17.3): colleagues from our center, as part of an international collaboration, created a bioelectric 3D implant that accelerates the restoration of complex-shaped bones by activating neurogenesis, angiogenesis, and osteogenesis all at once. And all of this under the action of a weak magnetic field.

What was done?

🧪 Magnetoelectric core-shell nanoparticles were developed: a magnetostrictive core of MnFe₂O₄ and a piezoelectric shell of Ba₀.₈₅Ca₀.₁₅Zr₀.₁Ti₀.₉O₃ (BCZT).

🖨 These particles were embedded in a biocompatible hydrogel (gelatin methacrylate) and 3D printed into a porous scaffold, a temporary support for cells that mimics the extracellular matrix.

⚡️ Under an alternating magnetic field (20 mT, 50 Hz), the core deforms, the shell converts mechanics into an electrical signal, and the implant itself becomes a wireless electrical stimulator.

The main breakthrough is a bioelectric "control panel" for cells
Magnetoelectric stimulation triggers a whole cascade:

🔹 Intracellular calcium (Ca²⁺) rises 1.83-fold, activating the CaMKII/CREB and CaMKKβ/AMPK/Nrf2 pathways.
🔹 TGF-β levels jump 1.54-fold, turning on PI3K-AKT and BMP signaling.
🔹 Schwann cells mature, expression of neurotrophic factors (GDNF, BDNF, NGF) increases, creating a neurogenic microenvironment.

What does this give in a real organism (in vivo)?

On femoral bone defects in mice, the implants showed:
✔️ Early signs of nerve and vessel growth as early as 2 weeks.
✔️ At 8 weeks, 3.1 times more innervation and 4.6 times more newly formed bone tissue compared to the control.

Why does this matter?

For the first time, 3D printing (individual defect geometry), magnetoelectric stimulation (wireless control), and a bioresorbable soft hydrogel are combined in a single platform. This is not just a bone implant, but a ready-made "neuro-vasculo-osteogenic" platform. In the future, this could mean therapy for spinal cord and brain injuries, neural interfaces, and minimally invasive regeneration of complex tissues, where it is critically important to grow nerves and vessels at the same time.

The work was supported by an RSF grant (No. 25-73-10231) and carried out with colleagues from the Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, TSU, the Boreskov Institute of Catalysis SB RAS, MISIS, and the University of Aveiro.

The full text of the paper can be found here: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.6c06339

Imagine an implant that requires no batteries, wires, or complex surgery. Just apply a magnetic field — and neurons become activated. Sounds like science fiction? Not anymore!
We present a new study in which the already well-known biocompatible magnetoelectric nanoparticles MFO@BCZT demonstrated outstanding performance in wireless brain stimulation. This is not just another synthesis study — it is a real story about how processing parameters can change everything.

What was done?
🧪 Nanoparticles as small as 22 nm were developed, featuring an ultrathin ferroelectric BCZT shell (2–6 nm).
⚙️ The synthesis employed a “smart” microwave-assisted hydrothermal method. By tuning the temperature (185 → 225 °C), NaOH concentration, and synthesis duration, we learned how to precisely control the nanoparticle structure and properties.

The main breakthrough:
It turned out that lowering the synthesis temperature to 185 °C was the magic key:
🔹 The intermediate Ba₁.₁₂Ti₈O₁₆₋δ phase disappeared (it appeared only at higher temperatures).
🔹 The piezoelectric response increased up to 18.25 ± 7.32 pm/V.
🔹 The magnetoelectric response became more than 3 times higher (up to 1.8×10⁶ mV·cm⁻¹·Oe⁻¹), one of the best values reported among all magnetoelectric nanoparticles!
What does this mean for real biology?

Neurons interacting with nanoparticles synthesized at 185 °C showed:
✔️ 20% more active cells.
✔️ A more than threefold increase in calcium response (Ca²⁺ signaling) under a low-intensity alternating magnetic field (up to 6 mT, 50 Hz) compared with the control group.

Why is this important?
This work demonstrates that even without changing the chemical composition, targeted optimization of synthesis parameters can dramatically improve material performance. MFO@BCZT is no longer just a laboratory sample, but a prototype platform for neural interfaces. We now understand how to enhance efficiency: through control of phase composition and shell defect engineering.
The next steps are scaling up production and conducting long-term in vivo biocompatibility studies — and the path toward clinical implants for treating Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, or post-traumatic recovery may become reality.

Read the full article here:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272884226013271?dgcid=coauthor

#Neurostimulation #Nanoparticles #Magnetoelectrics #WirelessImplants #Biocompatibility #NeuralInterfaces #MaterialsScience #Breakthrough #MNICPMEM #Research #TPU

We welcome future colleagues!

This post is for those who enter graduate school or students who are looking for an interesting and promising topic for scientific work!
We are pleased to announce that within the framework of our Center we are announcing a set of active, result-oriented students and graduate students!
There is a bonus system for applicants to graduate school at our Center - upon enrollment, a candidate for graduate school receives
+100 points to your points (the number of such places is limited), which significantly increases the chances of admission
‍
The key advantages of our Research Center are:

• interdisciplinarity of research, which makes it possible for graduates of almost all specialties to find themselves: chemistry, physics, materials science, nanomaterials, etc.;
• the possibility of performing fundamental research within one of the priority areas with the prospect of practical implementation of the results obtained;
• active participation in the implementation of international and Russian projects;
• motivational system for the development and acquisition of new knowledge;
• the opportunity to participate in internships, advanced training courses in Russia and the world;
• the possibility of direct communication with leading scientists in the field of research of the Center;

Example: cooperation with Andrey Leonidovich Kholkin (University of Aveiro, Portugal, H-index 63) within the framework of a mega-grant
https://megagrant.ru/labs/scientists/scientist_rus_82..

• supervisory system (feedback from experienced colleagues - employees of the Center).

All questions can be asked to the director of our Center - Surmenev Roman Anatolyevich.

We'll be waiting for your CVs.
surmenev@tpu.ru or rsurmenev@mail.ru, telephone (3822) 701-777, ext. 1521