Third party funded individual grant
Start date : 01.01.2015
End date : 31.12.2016
Bone damage and loss due to infection, injury, etc. represents an enormous burden for millions of patients worldwide and is one of the major factors of frailty in an ongoing aging society. Current treatments with bone grafts or with synthetic bone substitutes have major limitations. It has become clear that if we are to achieve truly effective bone substitutes for the repair of large bone defects, materials are required that mimic cancellous bone in architecture, strength and biological properties. The Australian partner has developed novel multi-component ceramics, comprising strontium-doped Hardystonite (Ca2ZnSi2O7) and Gahnite (ZnAl2O4)with outstanding potential for supporting bone regeneration under load that it duplicates the mechanical strength, elasticity and bioactivity of bone. However, we have yet to determine its mechanisms of osteo-inductivity and conductivity. Upon in vivo scaffold implantation, MSCs and osteoblasts can be recruited from the surroundings to the biomaterial site and contribute to bone repair and regeneration. The porosity of scaffolds vastly determines the adherence and migration behavior of seeded cells, but also limits in-depth supply with nutrients and removal of cellular waste prodcuts. A major restriction in the assessment of cell seeding efficiency is the read-out for successful seeding of scaffolds as well as the cell-scaffold interaction. We have label-free multiphoton imaging it hand to study the cell-scaffold interface in this initiating collaboration. Goals are:
1. prepare 3D printed Sr-HT-Gahnite scaffolds with different patterns; to investigate cell seeding efficiency with mesenchymal stem cells and determine extracellular matrix production with advanced multiphoton microscopy
2. prepare 3D printed scaffolds with suitable pore size to fill with encapsulated hydrogel-cell systems to provide a cell-laden strong hybrid construct for monitoring the cellular activity within scaffolds.
3. To determine the extracellular matrix production by seeded cells
4. optimize culture conditions in bioreactors to improve ECM production