Image Courtesy: King’s College London

Scientists have developed a bone-repair material made from keratin extracted from sheep’s wool, with animal tests suggesting it could support the growth of stronger, more naturally organized bone.

Researchers at King’s College London created membranes from wool-derived keratin and tested them in laboratory cultures and living animals. The material supported bone regeneration and produced new tissue with a structure that more closely resembled healthy bone than tissue produced using conventional collagen scaffolds.

Keratin is a structural protein naturally found in wool, hair, skin, and other tissues. The researchers chemically treated keratin extracted from wool to create stable membranes that could act as scaffolds during bone healing.

Bone regeneration often relies on collagen membranes. These materials provide a temporary barrier that prevents soft tissue from entering an injured area while giving new bone room to develop. However, collagen can be relatively weak and may break down too quickly, limiting its usefulness in some applications. Producing purified collagen can also be expensive and complicated.

The researchers first exposed human bone cells to the keratin membranes in laboratory experiments. The cells grew successfully on the material and displayed characteristics associated with bone formation.

The team then implanted the membranes into rats with skull defects large enough that they would not normally heal without assistance. Over several weeks, researchers monitored how the material performed as new bone formed across the damaged areas.

The results revealed an interesting tradeoff between the two materials. Collagen produced a larger overall amount of new bone, but bone formed around the keratin scaffolds showed better organization. Its fibers were more closely aligned with the structure of healthy bone, potentially giving the regenerated tissue greater structural integrity.

The keratin membranes also remained stable during healing and integrated with surrounding tissue, two characteristics that could be important for future medical applications.

Dr. Sherif Elsharkawy of King’s College London described the animal testing as an important milestone, saying it moves keratin beyond an early materials concept and closer to potential use in patients.

Wool could also offer a sustainability advantage. Large quantities of wool can be discarded as agricultural waste, meaning the material could provide a renewable source for producing regenerative biomaterials.

The researchers will need to conduct further studies before the technology can be considered for human treatment. Results from animal models do not guarantee the same performance in people, and questions about long-term safety, manufacturing, and clinical effectiveness remain.