Biofabrication of Cell-Decorated Telocollagen Fibers of Extraordinary Strength for Regenerative Tendon and Myotendinous Junction Repair
Abstract
To address the Neuromusculoskeletal (NMS) Injury Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine and Composite Tissue Engineering topic areas, the Embody team is developing solutions for a major challenge facing healthcare providers and patients: the weakness of repair strategies for tendons and the tendon-muscle junction. Myotendinous junction (MTJ) injuries can be devastating, such as in polytrauma that may occur from blast injuries, large animal attacks, motor vehicle accidents, and other high energy assaults. The Embody team is developing technologies using advanced collagen-based biomaterials to biofabricate medical device implants with extraordinary physical properties. These implants will significantly improve service readiness and long-term health for Service members, Veterans, and U.S. citizens that suffer from tendon and MTJ-related injuries. The Embody-manufactured grafts will lead to improved outcomes over the current standard of care, which consists of repairing the injury with either tissue harvested from the patient or a cadaver and often leads to suboptimal results such as re-rupture and arthritis. When the procedure involves a surgeon removing tissue from the patient to treat the injury site, the patient also experiences additional surgical pain, often develops osteoarthritis due to bone loss and joint destabilization, and the surgeon ultimately spends more time and incurs more expense than repairing with a manufactured implant. Extremity injuries account for up to 79% of reported trauma cases in theater, with musculoskeletal injuries being the leading cause for all medical encounters for Warfighters at ~2 million per year. Approximately 800,000 surgical repairs are performed annually in the U.S. alone for ligaments and tendons of the foot, ankle, knee, wrist, elbow, and shoulder, with muscle-to-tendon interface-related injuries being among the most traumatic and difficult to treat due to poorly defined standards of care. Following these traumas, Service members who possess a strong motivation for rapid recovery are only able to return to regular activity after 6 months, and the current standard for post-Achilles tendon rupture (with or without MTJ involvement) is only partial recovery after 12 months. Embody is currently developing our platform technology that will lead to superior grafts for faster and more complete tendon and MTJ repair. The overall objective of this project is to develop implants (medical devices) that aid in the regenerative repair of tendon and MTJ injuries. The Embody team will achieve this by: (1) bioprinting grafts using strong collagen microfibers both with and without cells via a 3D bioprinter utilizing a print head designed for decorating cells along the printed, strong collagen fibers; (2) studying tissue development stem cell differentiation potential of the cell decorated, bioprinted grafts in bioreactor cultures; and (3) determining the in vivo performance and biocompatibility of the grafts in an Achilles tendon gastrocnemius (calf muscle) defect in an animal model. Embody’s research will improve the current state-of-the-art in connective tissue implants by reducing recovery time and facilitating more complete healing in damaged MTJs. Our research will significantly impact patient’s long-term health outcomes by improving their tissue’s ability to heal through application of mechanically strong grafts with the appropriate microstructure that rapidly cellularizes and restores native structure, strength, and function to the tendon and MTJ. Supported by compelling preliminary data, our technologies will enable faster and more complete healing, which will improve service readiness and speed return to sport for Service members and the millions of Americans that suffer these debilitating injuries. Improved recovery will benefit patients, families, and caregivers by allowing a more rapid return to normal activities and saving time and financial resources that would have b
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jul 16, 2019
- Source ID
- W81XWH1910475
Entities
People
- Michael Francis
Organizations
- United States Army