In Australia, seaweed isn’t just healthy to eat – it can now heal damaged brain tissue using a new technique using a “hydrogel scaffold” where healthy cells exist with water and proteins forming a web. Researchers combined it with a natural anti-inflammatory polysaccharide (sugar molecule) found in seaweed with short peptides (small proteins) to create the hydrogel scaffold that matches the structure of healthy brain tissue.
The research team then injected the hydrogel scaffold into a damaged brain, with remarkable results. “The hydrogel scaffold was shown to support the wound, prevent scarring and improve healing,” said Dr Richard Williams from RMIT University in the press release. “Incredibly, it had a positive effect on cells a long way from the wound. This potentially allows an entirely natural, biomaterial approach to treat the damage caused by traumatic brain injury and stroke by allowing the brain to repair itself.”