Isolation and characterization of matrix bound vesicles for bone repair

Extracellular matrix (ECM) derived biomaterials have been used in more than 8 million patients worldwide. Yet, the mechanisms by which ECM biomaterials modulate cell behaviour are not fully understood. Recent discovery of matrix bound vesicles in soft tissue ECM has provided a potential rationale for regulation of cell function, analogous to that observed with extracellular vesicles.

This project will use multidisciplinary and cross-cutting approaches to enable the isolation and characterisation of matrix bound vesicles from bone tissue derived ECM biomaterials. The project will commence by optimising isolation methods to obtain matrix bound vesicles from bone. We will then define the aetiology of the isolated MBV population by comparison of the cytokine, protein and metabolic profiles using OrbiSIMS, lipidomics and imaging techniques. Defining the role of decellularized bone MBVs in the extracellular niche will inform our understanding of the biological impacts of bone derived MBVs. This in turn may enable the potential development of new therapeutics for bone repair.