Cell Therapy Using Stem Cells and Biomimetic Biodegradeable Nanostructured Materials

In the final year of this project, data will be generated to support a new IP filing related to an innovative manufacturing process used to produce a porous bioactive glass scaffold for bone regeneration. Bioactive glass has the potential to be osteoinductive but there are currently very few porous bioactive glass products available. Preliminary results have shown that the porous scaffold developed in this project may have the potential to outperform many commercially available bone void fillers. Poly-y-glutamic acid has been successfully modified and electrospun with the resultant fibres showing good support of cell attachment, viability and differentiation. Following completion of this project, it is likely that the data generated will allow a biphasic osteochondral plug to be developed. The project has allowed Plasticell limited to develop novel differentiation protocols for the generation of chondrocytes and osteoblasts from mesenchymal stem cells, and thus enter the stem cell culture reagents market. The protocols differ from currently available products as they are serum-free and animal component free, thus making them more reproducible and suitable for clinical application.