Xinyu Dong, a materials scientist at the National University of Singapore, is adapting freeze casting—a method traditionally used to build ceramic bone-repair scaffolds—to engineer hydrogels with improved structural properties. The technique involves freezing a water-based slurry in a controlled direction so ice crystals push material particles into an organized porous network, which is later preserved after the ice is removed. Dong began this work during her PhD in 2020 and has since extended the approach to aerogels and, in 2024, proposed a new variation of the freeze-casting process for hydrogels.
nature.com
· 2026-10-14
Nature Index figures for 2021-2025 show global biomedical-engineering output growing 70%, faster than the database overall, with the field's share of all tracked papers rising from 2.4% to 2.7%. China's contribution to that output jumped from 28.9% to 50.9%, while the US and Germany held second and third place with roughly steady shares. The analysis also highlights South Korea, Switzerland, Canada and the Netherlands as countries with distinct patterns of specialization, growth or international collaboration in the field.
nature.com
· 2026-10-14
Biomedical engineering is reported to be experiencing rapid growth as an academic and research discipline. Despite this expansion, observers are raising questions about whether the growth is translating into tangible benefits for patients.
nature.com
· 2026-10-14
GoKawiil