CReATE Motion Center: Cartilage Regeneration using Advanced Technologies to Enable Motion

This proposal will establish a new Center at the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center (CMCVAMC) in Philadelphia focused on Cartilage Regeneration using Advanced Technologies to Enable Motion (CReATE Motion). This new initiative builds upon the extensive scientific foundation, outstanding infrastructure,

and thriving educational and mentoring programs that we have established within the musculoskeletal programs at the CMCVAMC in the Translational Musculoskeletal Research Center (TMRC) and through our collaborations with the Atlanta VA Medical Center (AVAMC). The CReATE Motion Center will include investigators with

expertise in musculoskeletal regeneration, pain, cell-based therapies, biomanufacturing, and translational sciences drawn from Orthopaedic Surgery, Neurosurgery, the Department of Medicine, Bioengineering, and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at the CMC VAMC and the University of Pennsylvania (its primary affiliate)

and the Atlanta VAMC and Emory University (its primary affiliate). The Mission of our CReATE Motion Center is to develop a translational pipeline for advanced cartilage and joint regenerative therapies aimed at treating arthritis, joint injuries, and related joint disorders, by cultivating core infrastructure and building an intellectual critical mass in this area. We will apply this framework to

accelerate the clinical implementation of cutting-edge strategies to restore joint function and transform the long-term health of our Veterans. Our new CReATE Motion Center is focused on 3 major interacting research cores (RCs) that support 3 central research focus areas (RFAs) and our educational and outreach mission. The Research Cores will focus on

Biomanufacturing and Translation (RC1), Rehabilitative Models and Tools (RC2), and Advancing Clinical Evaluation (RC3). These Cores support the three main CReATE Motion Research Focus Areas, centered on Molecules and Delivery Systems (RFA1), Cells and Cell Products (RFA2), and Biologic Joint Resurfacing’

(RFA3). CReATE Motion will fund Pilot Awards and Collaborative Exchanges in each of the 3 research focus areas through a peer-reviewed mechanism. Taken Together, CReATE Motion, with its associated Cores, Trainee, and Pilot Funding, is designed to produce new knowledge, novel products, and advances in clinical

care, with a specific focus on functional restoration of the musculoskeletal system. Equally important to advancing the scientific and translational underpinnings of CReATE Motion is the training of the next generation of VA-focused scientists and clinicians working in this research space and engaging

Veterans. To that end, our Educational and Outreach (E&O) mission includes (1) a Fellowship Program in Translational Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine (“T-TERM”) to educate trainees and the community on processes of clinical translation and commercialization, (2) regular Techniques Workshops & Chalk Talks to

increase collaboration and interactions across the Center and utilization of Core resources, (3) a Seminar Series focused on CReATE Motion related topics and translation, and most importantly (4) a focus on Patient Education, Outreach, and Engagement to bring technologies and information to the Veterans that we serve.

If successful, this new CReATE Motion Center will establish a critical mass of expertise, a culture of innovation, and cutting-edge infrastructure that will establish a nation-wide VA-based pipeline to move next-generation regenerative therapies for cartilage restoration, repair and replacement from the laboratory to the clinic.