A Programmable Braided Silk-Glass Fiber Ligament Promoting Rapid Motoric Recovery.
8 affiliations
- 1Department of Orthopedics, 940th Hospital, Lanzhou, Gansu, China.
- 2Department of Orthopedics, Tangdu Hospital, Shaanxi Province, China.
- 3Institute of Solid Mechanics, Beihang University, Beijing, China.
- 4Nanjing Fiberglass Research & Design Institute Co., Ltd, Jiangsu, China.
- 5Department of Orthopedics, Nanjing Jinling Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Jiangsu, China.
- 6Nanjing University Institute of Artificial Intelligence Biomedicine, Jiangsu, China.
- 7Beijing 3D Braiding Co. Ltd, Beijing, China.
- 8School of Electronic Information Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, China.
Abstract
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction and related soft-hard tissue repairs remain challenged by grafts that either lack the characteristic "J-shaped" stress-strain profile or sacrifice compliance for stiffness while also offering poor biological integration. Here, we report a silk-glass fiber (SF-GF) hybrid ligament fabricated by scalable three-dimensional braiding, combining industrially available glass fibers with biocompatible silk. By tuning the braiding angle ( 15∘ - 45∘ ), the grafts exhibit programmable nonlinear mechanics and viscoelasticity. This design closely replicates the strain-stiffening response and long-term creep resistance of native ligaments. Silk-rich domains promote osseoligamentous integration and osteogenic differentiation, while glass fibers provide high strength and bases for biomimetic mineralization. In rabbit ACL reconstruction, the angle-optimized SF-GFs facilitated prompt tendon-bone healing and restored functional jumping ability within 4 weeks. Finite element modeling rationalizes the strain-dependent load transfer from silk to glass fibers, underlying the characteristic "J-shaped" response. Importantly, this material-structure co-design leverages mass-producible components and a manufacturable braiding process, facilitating translational potentials beyond ACL reconstruction toward diverse soft-hard tissue repairs.
Related
- Equivalent linearization modeling and experimental validation of natural frequency and vibration isolation performance in metal braided hoses
- C2 Homologation of Alkenes with Programmable Substitution
- Hybrid lipid-coated silver nanoparticles as programmable antimicrobial platforms: balancing silver accessibility, efficacy, and toxicity
- Bioinspired 4D‐Printing Microwave Absorbers With Adaptive Programmable Switches via Morphable Percolation Networks and Resonant Models
- Local Charge Engineering Through Anion–Cation Co‐modulation for Multifunctional Programmable Electromagnetic Wave Attenuation
BibTeX
@article{lu2026programmable,
title = {{A Programmable Braided Silk-Glass Fiber Ligament Promoting Rapid Motoric Recovery.}},
author = {Changbo Lu and Daming Liu and Haoxin Zhang and Zhiwei Qiao and Qiuming Gao and Jia Meng and Hongyin Yue and Songkai Li and Shuo Zhang and Tao Yuan and Yun Xue and Hui Jiang and Zhenguo Liu and Yibo Wang and Nirong Bao and Yuli Chen and Xiaojiang Yang},
journal = {Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1002/advs.78414},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42958727},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - A Programmable Braided Silk-Glass Fiber Ligament Promoting Rapid Motoric Recovery.
AU - Changbo Lu
AU - Daming Liu
AU - Haoxin Zhang
AU - Zhiwei Qiao
AU - Qiuming Gao
AU - Jia Meng
AU - Hongyin Yue
AU - Songkai Li
AU - Shuo Zhang
AU - Tao Yuan
AU - Yun Xue
AU - Hui Jiang
AU - Zhenguo Liu
AU - Yibo Wang
AU - Nirong Bao
AU - Yuli Chen
AU - Xiaojiang Yang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/29
JO - Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)
DO - 10.1002/advs.78414
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42958727
AB - Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction and related soft-hard tissue repairs remain challenged by grafts that either lack the characteristic "J-shaped" stress-strain profile or sacrifice compliance for stiffness while also offering poor biological integration. Here, we report a silk-glass fiber (SF-GF) hybrid ligament fabricated by scalable three-dimensional braiding, combining industrially available glass fibers with biocompatible silk. By tuning the braiding angle ( 15∘ - 45∘ ), the grafts exhibit programmable nonlinear mechanics and viscoelasticity. This design closely replicates the strain-stiffening response and long-term creep resistance of native ligaments. Silk-rich domains promote osseoligamentous integration and osteogenic differentiation, while glass fibers provide high strength and bases for biomimetic mineralization. In rabbit ACL reconstruction, the angle-optimized SF-GFs facilitated prompt tendon-bone healing and restored functional jumping ability within 4 weeks. Finite element modeling rationalizes the strain-dependent load transfer from silk to glass fibers, underlying the characteristic "J-shaped" response. Importantly, this material-structure co-design leverages mass-producible components and a manufacturable braiding process, facilitating translational potentials beyond ACL reconstruction toward diverse soft-hard tissue repairs.
SN - 2198-3844
ER -