OSTEOCHON · Development of advanced bioglass-polymer scaffolds for OSTEOCHONdral interface tissue regeneration
Horizon Europe — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2023-09-01 → 2025-08-31
- EU contribution
- €150,439
- Participants
- 2
- Scheme
- HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Development of advanced bioglass-polymer scaffolds for OSTEOCHONdral interface tissue regeneration
Degenerative defects and injuries at the interface between cartilage and subchondral bone are difficult to treat because the two tissues differ strongly in structure, composition, vascularization and mechanical behavior. Current clinical options often address only one of the tissues, resulting in limited long-term regeneration and frequent re-interventions. At the same time, there is a clear European interest in advancing biomaterials and biofabrication technologies that can be standardized, better controlled, and ultimately translated into clinical use. The OSTEOCHON project aimed to design and develop hybrid osteochondral scaffolds that combine mechanical strength with biological compatibility through the smart design of materials combining structure and function. The work progressed from individual material systems toward proof-of-concept hybrid constructs. The main applicable outcomes concern hydrogel formulations with tunable mechanical and biological properties, including RGD-functionalized and double-network systems, which showed promising potential for future biological evaluation. Optimization of bioactive-glass scaffolds and their integration into composite systems continues beyond the fellowship. Together, these results provide methodological and material foundations for further development of hybrid scaffolds for osteochondral tissue regeneration.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Damage to the osteochondral interface (OCI) is a serious health problem associated with the development of osteoarthritis affecting the lives of millions of people. However, current treatment tools have imitations leading to unsatisfactory clinical outcomes. This project aims to solve the problem by a complex approach combining and advancing recent findings in the field of tissue engineering (TE). It is accepted that patient cells can be seeded onto artificial scaffolds containing biologically active substances (BASs) to stimulate these cells to new tissue formation. We take the view that the scaffold should consist of a soft part and a sufficiently stiff part to avoid the formation of unwanted fibrocartilage. We will use cryogelation and 3D-printed bioactive glass to prepare multiphasic scaffolds that can carry regulatory signals for adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs). Our research objectives are to develop 1) a stiff scaffold with a graded structure matching the morphology of the subchondral bone and able to be loaded by BASs to facilitate osteogenesis, 2) a soft scaffold based on a cryogel enriched by BASs to facilitate chondrogenesis, and 3) a combined scaffold matching the zonal structure of OCI to enhance its regeneration. 4) We will use ADSCs and modern ex vivo testing protocols to evaluate the potential of the scaffold to meet the needs of OCI TE, and to direct future research to in vivo testing and commercialization. The research will be conducted within the academic structures of the University of Chemistry and Technology (UCT) in Prague, Czech Republic, in collaboration with the Biotechnology and Biomedicine Center in Vestec (BIOCEV) near Prague, under the supervision of Prof. Jan Merna and Prof. Bacakova.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
Links
- View on CORDIS
- DOI: 10.3030/101110312
- https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e5095299c9&appId=PPGMS
- https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e5202356dc&appId=PPGMS
Data: CORDIS, © European Union