Engineering remotely controlled preprogramed living implants for skeletal regeneration
Description: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent arthritic disease affecting 25% of the adult population, involves the entire joint affecting both the articular cartilage and the underlying bone. Deep osteochondral defects of the joint surface lead to a high rate of OA over time. Through the use of recently developed cartilage organoid technologies which exhibit mimicry of developmental cascades, implants able to regenerate challenging skeletal defects have been produced. Organoids have been used as building blocks that through self-assembly can results in larger tissue structures. However there is still lack of control in the way stem cells can be differentiated to their final phenotype. The main goal of CARTiBOT is to design and engineer remotely controllable osteochondral tissue implants using organoids of defined funcitonality. This will be achieved through the use of novel in silico tools to capture complex responses of magnetically augmented stable cartilaginous and hypertrophic (osteogenic) cartilaginous organoids to magnetic fields. In addition we will strive to design and develop complex magnetic setups enabling control over in vitro and in vivo organoid-based implants. The target will be to obtain their magneto-patterning in zonated implants while building-in a capacity to remotely actuate implants post-implantation. We consider this new generation of implants as 'tissue robots' that will provide an unprecedented capacity to improve future clinical outcomes.
Funder: Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
Funding type: grant
Funder scheme: FWO research project (including WEAVE projects)
Start date: 2025-01-01
End date: 2028-12-31
Investigators: Ioannis Papantoniou, Dimitrios Sakellariou
Institution: FWO
Funded outputs count: 3
Funder award ID: G042425N
OpenAlex ID: G4619847682