Speaker
Description
Introduction:
Large bone defects can be caused by trauma, disease, surgery or tumour resection where the bone is unable to heal as normal due to the size of the defect or fracture [1-3]. To understand and resolve this clinical problem, regenerative medicine approaches, particularly tissue engineering and the use of biomaterial, have been widely studied and used. A more recent type of collagen that has emerged is jellyfish collagen (Jellagen), which is collagen type 0, non-cytotoxic and biocompatible. [4] In this project, we are investigating whether a jellyfish collagen hydrogel can provide a natural 3D microenvironment for bone formation.
Materials and Methodology:
Established quantitative and qualitative methods such as PrestoBlue™ Cell Viability Reagent, Live/Dead ® Viability/Cytotoxicity Kit, DNA quantification and histology have been used to determine whether a jellyfish collagen hydrogel supports human osteoblast viability, proliferation and migration.
Results and Conclusion:
The overall PrestoBlue results showed that the hydrogel supported cell viability and to further support this, the Live/Dead images were strong evidence to show that osteoblasts were viable and proliferating both within and on top of the hydrogel. Moreover, it was evident that osteoblasts seeded within the hydrogel were distributed throughout the hydrogel across the 7 day period. This is a promising result that suggests the cells can and will be able to proliferate long-term in a 3D microenvironment.
The early experiments of this project have so far shown that a jellyfish collagen hydrogel can support human osteoblasts and encourage their growth over 7 days. Some results have shown that cells are viable within the hydrogel at 21 days. This is a good indication that cells can be cultured for longer. The next step would be to assess bone formation in the hydrogel up to 28 days.
Keywords: (3-5 keywords)
collagen, hydrogel, microenvironment, viability, osteoblasts
Acknowledgements:
This work was supported by Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) via DTP case programme (Grant No. EP/T517793/1).
References:
1. Vidal, L., et al., Regeneration of segmental defects in metatarsus of sheep with vascularized and customized 3D-printed calcium phosphate scaffolds. Sci Rep, 2020. 10(1): p. 7068.
2. Winkler, T., et al., A review of biomaterials in bone defect healing, remaining shortcomings and future opportunities for bone tissue engineering: The unsolved challenge. Bone Joint Res, 2018. 7(3): p. 232-243.
3. Majidinia, M., A. Sadeghpour, and B. Yousefi, The roles of signaling pathways in bone repair and regeneration. J Cell Physiol, 2018. 233(4): p. 2937-2948.
4. Jellagen website
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