A Programmable Braided Silk‐Glass Fiber Ligament Promoting Rapid Motoric Recovery

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 (–), 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.