Filming at LSIWC: An Innovative Birch Wood Solution for Bone Fixation

Today, filming took place at the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry (LSIWC) featuring Dr. chem. Laura Andže, recipient of funding under the national long-term research programme BioPhoT, who leads the project “OsteoWood. Next-Generation Birch Wood Solution for Bone Fixation – a Sustainable Pathway from Forest to Functional Implants.”

“There are surprisingly many similarities between the structure of wood cells and human cells,” says Dr. chem. Laura Andže, leading researcher at the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry.

Both wood and human bone are living, breathing materials – they respond to stress, adapt to their environment, and record their history within their structure. The fiber system of wood functions similarly to human bone tissue – it enables fluid circulation, nutrient transport, and mechanical strength while maintaining flexibility. In both wood and bone, this hierarchical structure – from microscopic cells to macroscopic formations – is responsible for their strength, plasticity, and ability to exist in harmony with their surroundings. It is precisely this analogy between wood and human bone that has inspired the OsteoWood project.

The aim of OsteoWood is to develop and validate an innovative birch wood-based material for osteosynthesis implants, offering a biocompatible alternative for patients for whom conventional metal implants (such as titanium or stainless steel) are unsuitable. Approximately 2–5% of patients experience allergic reactions or metal intolerance, and this project seeks to address such cases.

The OsteoWood team is developing partially delignified, densified, and mechanically strong birch wood samples impregnated with oligochitosan to improve their biocompatibility and dimensional stability. The material will be developed up to TRL3, including microscopic structural analysis, mechanical testing, and cell compatibility studies under laboratory conditions.

This niche biomaterial solution has not yet been widely explored globally, and its potential points toward future export and medical innovation pathways, grounded in Latvia’s renewable resources and LSIWC’s strong expertise in wood chemistry.

The project is implemented by a team of researchers from the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry, Rīga Stradiņš University, and the Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis: Laura Andže, Vadims Ņefjodovs, Mārtiņš Andžs, Juris Zoldners, Sigvards Krongorns, Ulla Milbreta, Antons Sizovs, and Mārīte Škute.

No IVPP-EM-Innovation-2024/1-0002 "Long-term national research programme project "Biomedical and Photonics Research Platform for Innovative Products"