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H2020Doctoral network2020–2025

SkinTERM · Skin Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine: From skin repair to regeneration

Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2020-10-01 → 2025-07-31
EU contribution
€3,192,736
Participants
9
Scheme
MSCA-ITN

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.

Results in brief

Skin Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine: From skin repair to regeneration

Treating skin burns and large trauma using transplantation of autologous split-thickness skin carries a number of serious drawbacks, including pain, mobility-limiting contractures and disfiguring scars. The EU-funded SkinTERM project aims to address wound healing in a completely different way: reproducing embryonic skin development in adults by aiming for regeneration rather than repair. Skin organogenesis will be induced by key elements taken from the extracellular matrix of fetal skin and from skin of species that exhibit no scarring, and by employing (stem) cells from relevant cellular origins. The general training objective was to deliver excellent, supradisciplinary and intersectorially trained, highly employable scientists with knowledge necessary to drive this research area further towards clinical translation in Europe. Research objectives included 1) to identify important elements of the extracellular matrix involved in scarring and non-scarring systems, 2) to investigate the relevance of (stem) cells and cellular origin in scarring and non-scarring systems, 3) to investigate methodologies to regenerate skin appendages and sensory nerves in skin after wounding, as these are not restored during repair and 4) to take initial steps to translate the research results into clinical applications (medical devices and advanced therapy medicinal products).

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

Transplantation of autologous split-thickness skin -the epidermis with a tiny layer of dermis- remains the golden standard for various skin wounds like burns and large trauma. This treatment, however, comes with a number of serious drawbacks, including pain, mobility-limiting contractures and disfiguring scars. The SkinTERM consortium will address wound healing in a completely different way, recapitulating (certain aspects of) skin embryonic development in adults, and aiming for regeneration rather than repair. Skin organogenesis will be induced by key elements taken from the extracellular matrix of foetal and non-scarring species and by employing (stem) cells from relevant cellular origins. The starting point for the study is the remarkable capability of early foetal skin and skin from the spiny mouse (Acomys) to heal perfectly without scars/ contraction and with appendices such as hair follicles. Novel biomaterials and skin substitutes will be developed and evaluated. In order to effectively embrace this new approach, the PhD students need to have knowledge in key elements of basic science, regenerative medicine and biomaterial sciences. As translation to medical devices and especially advanced therapy medicinal products is currently too limited, we will give the PhD students a solid theoretical and practical foundation on topics like regulatory affairs, GMP and GCP, as well as secondments in industry. Driven by both the enthusiasm to gain basic scientific insights and the need for efficacious and innovative therapies, the students will acquire expertise through cutting edge scientific projects and will be trained by leading experts in all required skills to further develop their scientific findings into real life-science products. The SkinTERM program will thus create a new generation of entrepreneurial, multidisciplinary and inter-sectorially trained scientists with excellent career perspectives in either academia, industry or government.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

  • STICHTING RADBOUD UNIVERSITAIR MEDISCH CENTRUM · NijmegenCoordinatorNetherlands
  • CUTISS AG · ZurichSwitzerland
  • HELMHOLTZ ZENTRUM MUENCHEN DEUTSCHES FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM FUER GESUNDHEIT UND UMWELT GMBH · NeuherbergGermany
  • MEDSKIN SOLUTIONS DR.SUWELACK AG · BillerbeckGermany
  • STICHTING AMSTERDAM UMC · AmsterdamNetherlands
  • STICHTING RADBOUD UNIVERSITEIT · NijmegenNetherlands
  • UNIVERSIDADE DO ALGARVE · FaroPortugal
  • UNIVERSITAT ZURICH · ZurichSwitzerland
  • UNIVERSITY OF DURHAM · DURHAMUnited Kingdom

Links

Data: CORDIS, © European Union