SMART-BONE | Smart electroactive 3D models of osteoregeneration

Summary
In the European Union alone, the annual number of bone fractures is projected to reach 4.5 million in 2025. Despite the advances in implant technology, grafts prepared using bone extracted from the patient to fill the bone defect are the only material reported so far to retain any significant efficacy in sustaining new bone formation. However, the aging worldwide population and increased life expectancy call for a different answer to the growing need for effective implants for bone fracture healing.
The 3D-BONE project will develop an in vitro 3D model to investigate electrical stimulation of stem cells based on biocompatible electroactive 3D scaffolds produced by the ice-templating technique. Electrical stimulation has been shown to positively affect stem cells differentiation into both bone- and vessels-forming cells. One of the key novelty of the 3D-BONE project is the use of human neural crest-derived stem cells (NCSCs). The study of this system in vitro will contribute to increasing the knowledge on a cell population that has the remarkable characteristic of preserving their potentialities to differentiate towards multiple lineages also in the adult. They can thus be isolated from the patient in need of the bone graft, with no need of external donors. Cells’ response to the applied electrical stimulus will be investigated using an organic electrochemical transistor (OECT) that will be integrated in the developed device and will allow for label-free monitoring of cells through an electronic readout. Altogether, the results of these studies will prove beneficial to increase the knowledge on electrically stimulated stem cells differentiation, providing new key tools for the development of implants to be successfully used in critical size defects healing.
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More information & hyperlinks
Web resources: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/704175
Start date: 01-09-2016
End date: 31-08-2018
Total budget - Public funding: 173 076,32 Euro - 173 076,00 Euro
Cordis data

Original description

In the European Union alone, the annual number of bone fractures is projected to reach 4.5 million in 2025. Despite the advances in implant technology, grafts prepared using bone extracted from the patient to fill the bone defect are the only material reported so far to retain any significant efficacy in sustaining new bone formation. However, the aging worldwide population and increased life expectancy call for a different answer to the growing need for effective implants for bone fracture healing.
The 3D-BONE project will develop an in vitro 3D model to investigate electrical stimulation of stem cells based on biocompatible electroactive 3D scaffolds produced by the ice-templating technique. Electrical stimulation has been shown to positively affect stem cells differentiation into both bone- and vessels-forming cells. One of the key novelty of the 3D-BONE project is the use of human neural crest-derived stem cells (NCSCs). The study of this system in vitro will contribute to increasing the knowledge on a cell population that has the remarkable characteristic of preserving their potentialities to differentiate towards multiple lineages also in the adult. They can thus be isolated from the patient in need of the bone graft, with no need of external donors. Cells’ response to the applied electrical stimulus will be investigated using an organic electrochemical transistor (OECT) that will be integrated in the developed device and will allow for label-free monitoring of cells through an electronic readout. Altogether, the results of these studies will prove beneficial to increase the knowledge on electrically stimulated stem cells differentiation, providing new key tools for the development of implants to be successfully used in critical size defects healing.

Status

CLOSED

Call topic

MSCA-IF-2015-EF

Update Date

28-04-2024
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Horizon 2020
H2020-EU.1. EXCELLENT SCIENCE
H2020-EU.1.3. EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
H2020-EU.1.3.2. Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
H2020-MSCA-IF-2015
MSCA-IF-2015-EF Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF-EF)