PACGEL · Plasma-ACtivated hydroGEL: new frontiers solutions in cardiac regenerative medicine
Horizon Europe — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2023-04-01 → 2025-03-31
- EU contribution
- €172,750
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Plasma-ACtivated hydroGEL: new frontiers solutions in cardiac regenerative medicine
Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of mortality, accounting for 45 % of global deaths in Europe. However, cardiac regenerative medicine solutions are currently missing (except for heart transplantation). Human heart diseases models are thus needed for the development and preclinical validation of new effective therapies. In this context, PACGEL (Plasma-ACtivated hydrogGEL: new frontiers solutions in cardiac regenerative medicine) project aims to provide new strategies in cardiac regenerative medicine by developing injectable hydrogels with cardioprotective function and biomimetic in vitro 3D hydrogel-based models reproducing different oxidative stages of fibrotic cardiac scar tissues. PACGEL will accelerate the fundamental knowledge in the development of new promising strategies for cardiac regenerative medicine, including new treatments and new preclinical models of human pathological cardiac tissue for their screening. Furthermore, models derived from PACGEL will reduce the costs and time for new therapy development, and the number of needed experimental animals in agreement of 3Rs (Reduction, Replacement, Refinement) principle.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Heart diseases represent the main leading cause of mortality in EU and other industrialized countries. The development of minimally-invasive therapies to treat cardiovascular injuries is the subject of intense investigation by the cardiac regenerative medicine community. Moreover, in vitro models of human cardiac pathological tissues mimicking disease-specific oxidative conditions are demanded for understanding pathological mechanisms at different disease stages, and for the development and preclinical validation of novel therapies, at reduced costs and in compliance with 3Rs (Reduction, Refinement, Replacement) principle.PACGEL aims at the design of novel plasma jet-activated hydrogels based on biocompatible polymers, to be exploited as: (i) injectable stimulating systems to promote cardiac tissue regeneration and (ii) in vitro models of diseased cardiac tissue with tunable oxidative conditions. The biological effect will depend on the doses and types of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species encapsulated in the hydrogels, modulated by the plasma jet treatment parameters. The objectives are: (1) to identify the minimal reactive species concentration (threshold limit) above which oxidative effects prevail, by in vitro tests with relevant human cardiac cells; 2) to develop plasma jet-activated hydrogels with regenerative potential; 3) to design in vitro 3D bio-printed tissue models mimicking different stages of human cardiac diseases. My expertise in Plasma Medicine and Chemistry, the supervisor’s consolidated competence in biomaterials design, tissue engineering and cardiac regenerative medicine, my proof-of-concept preliminary results and the availability of all the needed facilities and training opportunities at the Host Institution will ensure the research progress.Furthermore, PACGEL will address one major societal challenge such as the treatment of age-related cardiac diseases exploiting green technologies, thus achieving still a greater impact on society.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- POLITECNICO DI TORINO · TorinoCoordinatorItaly
Links
- View on CORDIS
- DOI: 10.3030/101067882
- https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e503df2a05&appId=PPGMS
- https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e51c0a773a&appId=PPGMS
Data: CORDIS, © European Union