Biomimetic Materials for Personalised Bone Regeneration

Fractures are common traumatic injuries during the entire human history. Worldwide more than 20 million patients are annually affected by a loss of bone tissue caused by trauma or disease. Current treatment options are far from satisfactory.

Typically osteogenic cells are seeded onto a porous scaffold that is shaped to fit the bone defect and then implanted to allow for vascularisation. However, most cells die due to lack of oxygen and nutrients.

Therefore, how to promote fracture healing efficiently and safely is still the primary focus of recent research in regenerative medicine for bone.

In this project, vascularisation will be assured first and then recruited cells will be differentiated along the osteogenic lineage.

Based on first demonstrators, we will develop clinically relevant matrices based on collagen (ink) that allow manufacturing by 3D-printing.

Angiogenesis is promoted by extracellular vesicles derived from mesenchymal stromal cells using established procedures while osteogenesis is promoted by inductive dispersed calcium phosphate particles.

Materials will first be characterised to assure proper chemical, physical and biological properties and then intramuscular in the rat model for ectopic bone formation.

This approach that mimics natural bone healing after fracture will provide a method for custom shaped bone forming materials and prove the concept of vascularisation FIRST and THEN cell recruitment.