Speaker
Description
Articular cartilage and osteochondral defect repair remain major clinical challenges. Biomaterial scaffolds currently in clinical use in orthopaedic medicine do not accurately mimic native tissues, and therefore do not preferentially promote tissue-specific regeneration when they are colonised by endogenous stem/progenitor cells post implantation. Tissue-specific extracellular matrix (ECM) derived scaffolds have been shown to promote tissue repair by providing both structural and functional cues to cells, suggesting that such natural, biomimetic materials may provide a cell-inductive platform for the regeneration of musculoskeletal tissues. Indeed, decellularized articular cartilage ECM derived scaffolds have been shown to promote the chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs), while bone and growth plate ECM derived scaffolds have been shown to support osteogenesis. However, directing the phenotype of stem/progenitor cells is only the first step in ensuring successful cartilage or osteochondral defect repair following scaffold implantation; such biomaterials are also required to direct the structural organization of the repair tissue to promote functional regeneration. This talk will summarise our efforts towards developing such ECM derived scaffolds for cartilage, bone and osteochondral repair, and will provide preclinical data in relevant in vivo models to support their continued development in the field of orthopaedics.
62903403044
