SKIN-REGEN-MECH · A skin substitute optimised using mechanobiological simulation to restore weight-bearing function

A skin substitute optimised using mechanobiological simulation to restore weight-bearing function

Tissue-engineered skin is used to treat chronic wounds that affect nearly four million people in Europe alone. However, there is currently no effective solution for the weight-bearing function of foot skin, and with the increasing incidence of diabetic foot ulcers, there is a pressing need for new reconstructive therapies. The EU-funded SKIN-REGEN-MECH project developed computational and experimental models that can be used to enhance design of engineered skin. The project's results will improve the design of engineered skin and generate new substitutes for reconstructing the skin of the foot sole. Large or chronic wounds affect 4 million people in the EU each year. Tissue engineered skin substitutes offer the potential to enhance the repair and regeneration of these wounds. However, there are currently no skin substitutes that can fully restore the weight-bearing function of foot skin. Therapies to reconstruct the foot sole are urgently needed, with an increasing prevalence of diabetic foot ulcers that cost the EU €4 billion annually and have a five-year survival rate as low as 29%. Native skin’s load-bearing structure is dynamic and adaptable to changes in its mechanical environment. By studying the mechanical forces that lead to robust native skin, we can enhance regenerative therapies. The aim of this project is to enhance skin substitute design by optimising its properties using computational and experimental models, providing the basis for site-specific skin regeneration that targets weight-bearing function. The specific objectives of this project are: 1. To quantify cell-level mechano-regulation processes in human skin. A dynamic bioreactor was designed to control the mechnical environment of human skin explants while the cell-level biological responses to load are quantified. 2. To develop a multi-scale computational model of skin mechano-regulation 3. To predict the optimal mechanical and morphological properties for skin regeneration in the foot sole. This proposal involved substantial knowledge transfer, with the candidate gaining expertise in biomaterials and regenerative medicine, while providing the host with computational modelling and skin biology expertise. This proposal will enhance and broaden the candidate's career.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union