Integration and Recellularization of Microparticles for the Repair of Tissue Defects
Abstract
Our Applied Research Award proposal addresses the Fiscal Year 2019 Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program Focus Area of Arthritis. Specifically, it addresses the gap in treating musculoskeletal extremity soft tissue traumas involving articular cartilage damage, to accelerate return to duty and work of affected individuals. Trauma to the knee joint is a very common injury in active duty members, leading to defects in the articular cartilage. Over time, defects progress and continue to accelerate joint degeneration and damage, altering the structure, stiffness, and biochemistry of cartilage and other joint tissues, leading to a painful condition called osteoarthritis. No current solutions exist to fix the early cartilage defect and eliminate further degradation of the joint. Our strategy is to use and modify existing cartilage in a tunable graft to fill the critical defect. We will remove cells from native cartilage, and pulverize the tissue matrix into very small particles that can be recombined later to fill a tissue defect. The particles will be specifically combined with other native cartilage components, for example, hyaluronic acid, to form a moldable gel to fill any shape defect and create an environment that promotes cellular regeneration. We aim to define this environment by both its mechanical strength and protein composition to understand the patterns of cells that interact with the system and how this new tissue better integrates with the body. Our goal in this proposal is to create a system that encourages cartilage regeneration and integration to eliminate further degradation of articular cartilage after trauma. Within 3 years, we will optimize this system in the lab and evaluate its long-term success in a large animal model to uniquely position us for immediate translation to first-in-human testing in follow-up studies with anticipated industry partners.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Mar 10, 2021
- Source ID
- W81XWH2010268
Entities
People
- Corey Neu
Organizations
- United States Army
- University of Colorado Boulder