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H2020Doctoral network2016–2020

Tendon Therapy Train · Engineering in vitro microenvironments for translation of cell-based therapies for tendon repair

Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2016-02-01 → 2020-01-31
EU contribution
€3,876,966
Participants
16
Scheme
MSCA-ITN-ETN

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners. CORDIS does not always give exact coordinates for projects before 2014. These points are placed at city or country level.

Results in brief

Engineering in vitro microenvironments for translation of cell-based therapies for tendon repair

Tendon Therapy Train is a network of 5 universities and 3 companies based across Europe which aimed to develop an effective tissue-engineered therapy for human and equine tendon injury. Over 20 million tendon procedures take place annually worldwide with associated healthcare expenditure at €145 billion. Current surgical repairs do not effectively restore tendon function. The consortium’s solution was to develop tendon-like cell culture environments by recruiting the cells’ natural ability to build tissues and produce tendon-like tissues in the lab from these cells. Tendon-derived cells (TDCs), adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs), bone-marrow derived stem cells (BMSCs) and dermal fibroblasts (DFs) were investigated. By growing the cells in a lab environment that resembles tendons in the body, early stage researchers (ESRs) were able to maintain TDCs properties and to induce ADSCs, BMSCs and DFs to differentiate into tendon-like tissue cells in culture. To mimic the natural tendon environment in cell cultures, ESRs Dominika Berdecka (University of Minho), Alessandro Dei (StemCell Technologies), Andrea De Pieri (Proxy Biomedical), Dimitrios Tsiapalis, Eugenia Pugliese and Salome Guillaumin (National University of Ireland, Galway/NUIG) and Sergio Garnica Galvez, Adrian Djalali Cuevas and Andrea Rampin (University of Ioannina) experimented with culture media, adding different factors and macromolecules. Steven Vermeulen and Aysegul Dede-Eren (Maastricht University), Sofia Ribeiro (Sofradim Production), Dimitrios Tsiapalis, Eugenia Pugliese, Salome Guillaumin and Ignacio Sallent (NUIG), Andrea De Pieri, and Adrian Djalali Cuevas experimented with cell culture substrates. Dimitrios Tsiapalis, Ignacio Sallent and Salome Guillaumin subjected the cells to different levels of oxygen tension or mechanical forces. Giulia Sivelli (Royal Veterinary College, RVC) progressed the use of extracellular vesicles derived from equine cells to treat tendon inflammation. The ESRs work has advanced tendon tissue engineering; they have engineered cultures which maintain tendon cells and induce stem cells to grow as tendon-type cells. Promising implants have been validated in preclinical models by Andrea De Pieri and Ise Francois (RVC).

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

Tendon Therapy Train is a research, training and innovation programme for human and equine tendon repair and regeneration that will exploit recent advancements in tissue engineering by self-assembly (TESA) technologies which have led to the clinical translation and commercialisation of advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs). Although TESA therapies have the potential to revolutionise healthcare for numerous clinical targets, a lack of researchers with the necessary interdisciplinary skillset to advance the field is limiting clinical translation. Tendon therapy train, a network of 8 beneficiaries and 8 partners (7 universities, 7 companies and 2 hospitals) from six countries across Europe, will train a cohort of 15 researchers to doctoral level in the interdisciplinary area of ATMPs. The innovative credentials of the research and training programme involve engineering suitable ex vivo culture environments that, by mimicking the native tendon tissue milieu (human and equine), will maintain the tenogenic phenotype of tendon derived cells and differentiate non-tendon derived cells (stem cells and dermal fibroblasts) towards the tenogenic lineage, subsequently enabling development of three-dimensional cell-assembled tissue equivalents, the clinical potential of which will be assessed in suitable preclinical models. The comprehensive Tendon Therapy Train programme will equip researchers with transferable inter- and multidisciplinary skills that will further European-based knowledge, innovation, competitiveness and leadership in the field of TESA / ATMP and ultimately enable clinical translation and commercialisation of the developed technologies.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

  • UNIVERSITY OF GALWAY · GalwayCoordinatorIreland
  • Aristotle University · ThessalonikiGreece
  • Bose Ltd. · ChathamUnited Kingdom
  • Cell Scale · WaterlooCanada
  • FRAUNHOFER GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER ANGEWANDTEN FORSCHUNG EV · MunchenGermany
  • Galway Clinic · GalwayIreland
  • NAMSA · CHASSE SUR RHONEFrance
  • PANEPISTIMIO IOANNINON · IOANNINAGreece
  • PANEPISTIMIO THESSALIAS · VOLOSGreece
  • PROXY BIOMEDICAL LIMITED · GalwayIreland
  • SOFRADIM PRODUCTION SASU · TrevouxFrance
  • STEMCELL TECHNOLOGIES SARL · GrenobleCity levelFrance
  • STEMCELL TECHNOLOGIES UK LTD · CAMBRIDGEUnited Kingdom
  • THE ROYAL VETERINARY COLLEGE · LondonUnited Kingdom
  • UNIVERSIDADE DO MINHO · BragaPortugal
  • UNIVERSITEIT MAASTRICHT · MaastrichtNetherlands

Links

Data: CORDIS, © European Union