Scientists at King’s College London have demonstrated that keratin extracted from sheep wool can serve as a biomaterial to guide bone regeneration. The team created thin membranes from keratin and chemically treated them to form stable scaffolds. First, they tested the membranes in vitro with human bone cells, which showed strong signs of healthy bone development. Then, they implanted these keratin scaffolds into rats with skull defects that would not heal on their own. Over several weeks, the researchers observed that while collagen membranes produced a greater overall volume of bone, the keratin scaffolds generated tissue that was more organized and structurally secure. The fibres in the keratin-derived bone were better aligned, more closely resembling the structure of natural, healthy bone. Additionally, the keratin membranes integrated smoothly with surrounding tissue and remained stable throughout the healing process — both critical qualities for a clinical application. Dr. Sherif Elsharkawy highlighted that this is the first successful demonstration of a wool-based material repairing bone in a living animal, positioning keratin as a potential new class of regenerative biomaterial that could challenge the long-standing reliance on collagen. There’s also an environmental benefit: wool is a renewable byproduct of the farming industry, making it a sustainable alternative.
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