Innovative cell-based technologies for bone regeneration (REGENBONE)
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Aberdeen
Department Name: School of Medical Sciences
Abstract
Our technology will provide new methods of stimulating bone fracture repair that will shorten healing times and improve quality of care. This is particularly relevant for difficult to heal wounds such as non-union fractures. The development of consistent mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) based therapeutic protocols is a major step that would enable Cell Therapy strategies to be used in routine clinical application. We will combine our well characterised human MSC preparations having known bone-forming potency with two novel systems of cell stimulation: (1) we have developed a novel technology allowing application of an electric field (EF) to control cell migration and enhance osteoblast differentiation; (2) Smith & Nephew plc have developed a low-energy ultrasound system that accelerates healing of bone fractures by 38% in humans. These innovative approaches of stimulating new bone formation from MSCs are proposed for bone regeneration in preclinical and clinical settings
Publications
Zhao Z
(2011)
Directed migration of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in a physiological direct current electric field.
in European cells & materials
| Description | Project findings have identified: - a tissue and passage dependence on Mesenchymal Stem Cell migration in electric fields. - high cell-seeding efficiency of Mesenchymal Stem Cells on scaffolds. - a tissue source dependence on ectopic bone formation by Mesenchymal Stem Cell-seeded scaffolds. - donor dependence on ectopic bone formation by Mesenchymal Stem Cell-seeded scaffolds. - specific gene expression profiles identified for Mesenchymal Stem Cells derived from different tissue sources. |
| Exploitation Route | Potential uses are in cell therapy, particularly in the delivery of autologous or allogenic MSCs for bone repair. Stem-cell based products for bone repair show high growth rates in the USA, but their use compared to autograft/allograft/synthetic bone grafts is still small. Most are based on allograft tissue containing a population of Mesenchymal Stem Cells. Stem-cell products are currently being evalutaed in clinical trials in the USA. Exploitation routes have been evaluated and are highly dependent on balancing the cost of development and gaining regulatory approval to the commercial returns. More analysis of risk:benefits will be required before expoitation was feasible. |
| Sectors | Healthcare,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |
| Description | Findings from this study have been published, presented at conferences, and have led to further grant applications related to the findings. They have also been important in informing the Industrial Partner of opportunities of stem cell technology in relation to their existing technology. The technology has potential uses in cell therapy, particularly in the delivery of autologous or allogenic MSCs for bone repair |
| First Year Of Impact | 2010 |
| Sector | Healthcare,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |
| Impact Types | Economic |
| Description | Saw microtome for the preparation histological samples from very hard or non-homogeneous specimens |
| Amount | £10,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | G10/11 Equipment for Microscopical Analysis |
| Organisation | Tenovus Cancer Care |
| Department | Tenovus Scotland |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | |
| Title | Data sets - microarray data of MSCs |
| Description | Databases were developed on microarray gene expression of MSCs from multiple donors and multiple tissue types. This database can be utilised in future projects to address new scientific questions. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | None to date, but new scientific questions as part of the Aberdeen research group of the Arthritis Research UK Centre for Tissue Engineering (PI Prof Cosimo de Bari) will utilise this data set, and should lead to new research outputs. |