Tracing Immune Cells Around Biomaterials With Spatial Anchors During Large-Scale Wound Regeneration

The study explored a method for large-area wound regeneration using biodegradable aligned extracellular matrix (ECM) scaffolds, which accelerated wound coverage and enhanced hair follicle neogenesis. Through multimodal analysis, the research identified cell heterogeneity in responses to ECM scaffolds and highlighted the preferential recruitment of T cells around biomaterials, colocalized with hair follicle precursor cells. The study suggested that the adaptive immune system plays a pro-regenerative role in hair follicle neogenesis, as immunodeficient mice lacking mature T lymphocytes were unable to activate papillary fibroblasts or stimulate hair follicle regeneration. This research provided insights into foreign body responses and could aid in designing immunoregulatory biomaterials for future biomedical applications.